News
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—In April, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers shot and killed a man who entered a convenience store brandishing a gun. Then in July, protesters rallied in Uptown Charlotte to demonstrate against a number of high-profile police shootings around the country. And in August, a North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper shot and killed a deaf motorist following an east Charlotte pursuit.
With police shootings at the forefront of the public’s attention, Charlotte’s WSOC-TV News regularly turns to Womble Carlyle attorney Scott MacLatchie for insight.
In the most recent incident, for example, MacLatchie said video footage shows the trooper had reason to believe he faced an imminent threat.
“This person has already demonstrated such a willful disregard of his authority and a reckless disregard for the safety of others by fleeing,” MacLatchie tells WSOC-TV News.
MacLatchie has extensive experience defending law enforcement officers in police shooting cases. He also has served as an adjunct faculty member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Southeastern Center for Police Law and Liability Management, with an emphasis on police use of force. In addition, he has a personal background in law enforcement, having served as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department since 1979.
Click below to see MacLatchie’s comments to WSOC-TV News:
Part 1: CMPD Identify Man Shot, Killed During Standoff at Convenience Store
Part 2: Rally Held Uptown After Deadly Officer-Involved Shootings in U.S.
Part 3: EXCLUSIVE: Video Shows Part of Chase Before Trooper Shot, Killed Deaf Man
Part 4: Radio Communications Released Between Dispatch and Trooper Who Shot, Killed Deaf Man
Scott MacLatchie’s practice has been primarily devoted to the defense of law enforcement officers and municipalities in police misconduct and related civil rights litigation in both state and federal courts. He has substantial trial experience with successful verdicts in a wide variety of cases including police shootings, deployment of police dogs, use of force (deadly and non-deadly), asset forfeiture and miscellaneous search and seizure matters ranging from false arrest to execution of high risk search warrants. He practices in Womble Carlyle’s Charlotte office.
