A protester arrested during last year’s anti-ICE demonstration on the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is suing the city of Covington and two police officers, alleging the officers used excessive force and retaliated against him for protesting.
Brandon Hill filed a lawsuit in federal court in Covington on July 15. Hill is suing the city, officer Zachary Stayton and an unnamed officer, court records show. The suit includes claims of excessive force, retaliation, civil rights violations, negligence, and assault and battery.
He’s also alleging that the city failed to properly train, supervise and discipline Stayton.
What happened the day of the protest?
Hill was among 15 people, including two journalists, arrested during the July 17, 2025, demonstration on the Roebling Bridge connecting Cincinnati and Covington.
It was held in support of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain who was detained by ICE several days before. The march began after a vigil at The Banks in Cincinnati, with more than 100 people crossing the Roebling Bridge toward Covington, according to police.
An officer issued a “lawful order to disperse” via a loudspeaker and advised the demonstrators gathered on the bridge that failing to comply would result in arrests, according to testimony and criminal citations.
According to videos, officers waited less than a minute before detaining people.
Officers are seen in the footage restraining people on the ground and making arrests as dozens march across the bridge. One video shows Stayton striking Hill while trying to arrest him.
Lawsuit alleges officer assaulted protester during ‘peaceful demonstration’
Stayton first encountered Hill in the center of the roadway after the dispersal order. During a confrontation between the two men, the lawsuit states, Stayton struck Hill as the unnamed officer “unlawfully” restrained him.
The suit claims that Stayton could be seen “repeatedly smashing his fist into [Hill’s] head, which was, at times, pinned against concrete and steel by aid” of the unnamed officer.
Hill was left “bruised and battered” after the alleged assault, with injuries to the sides of his head, an arm injury requiring a sling, as well as leg wounds from being shot with a pepperball gun, according to the lawsuit.
He missed work for roughly six weeks, the suit states, adding that Hill has sought medical treatment on a “prolonged and continuing basis,” including months of physical therapy.
Hill was “engaged in constitutionally protected activity at the time of his arrest: a protest in public streets,” the lawsuit states. “This was a peaceful demonstration.”
Court records show Hill is still facing criminal charges related to the protest. The charges include rioting, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, menacing and unlawful assembly.
He is accused of trying to disarm an officer of their pepperball launcher, taking a “fighting stance” toward police and resisting arrest by holding onto the bridge’s railing, according to allegations presented in court last year.
The criminal charges against Hill are still awaiting a decision by a grand jury, according to Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders. Hill has denied resisting officers’ efforts to apprehend him.
City says bridge protest posed ‘serious public safety concerns’
“The City of Covington is aware of the federal lawsuit recently filed by one of the individuals facing criminal charges related to the July 2025 incident on the Roebling Suspension Bridge,” the city said in a statement.
City officials noted that a judge reviewed the evidence against Hill and determined it was sufficient for prosecutors to proceed with pursuing a felony case.
“The events that occurred on the Roebling Bridge in July 2025 posed serious public safety concerns,” the statement reads. “The City remains committed to ensuring Covington is a safe place for all residents and visitors. Because both the criminal case and the civil litigation remain pending, the City has no further comment at this time.”
Stayton was placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension following a months-long internal investigation into the police department’s response to the demonstration.
Covington Police Chief Justin Wetholter said last year that the investigation found officers’ actions were “consistent with established procedure,” except for Stayton’s response.
Hill is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees. He’s also asked the court to grant him a jury trial.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Protester’s lawsuit says cops used excessive force in Roebling arrest
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
