The long-running clash between Imperial Beach cop watcher Marcus Boyd and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is back in the spotlight, with Boyd returning to federal court this week after a judge ordered a new trial in his civil rights case. Proceedings picked up today and are expected to run into next week, all stemming from a June 22, 2022, on-camera encounter that a previous jury already found caused him harm.
Second trial resumes this week
The second trial on Boyd’s federal civil rights claim against Sgt. William Munsch got underway again today, with attorneys replaying testimony and video in a U.S. courtroom, according to CBS News 8. Lawyers told the judge they expect the hearing to stretch into next week, and witnesses have been called to walk jurors through the disputed confrontation step by step. The renewed trial follows an earlier proceeding in which jurors awarded Boyd $510,000 for false imprisonment and negligence but did not resolve his federal civil rights claim.
Boyd’s CopWatch work and local profile
Boyd runs a CopWatch effort in Imperial Beach, where he routinely films deputies during traffic stops and other encounters, then posts the footage to document police behavior. A Navy veteran, he has said he started recording after the summer 2020 protests that followed George Floyd’s murder, and his videos have attracted both vocal supporters and detractors in town. Local coverage has traced how his activism has raised tensions with deputies assigned to the Imperial Beach station, as reported by OB Rag.
The June 2022 encounter
Testifying about the June 22, 2022, incident, Boyd told jurors that Sgt. Munsch grabbed the back of his head, dug his fingernails into Boyd’s scalp, and then knocked the phone from his hand, sending the device into nearby brush. On the stand, Munsch acknowledged that his body-worn camera was not recording for at least part of the encounter and said he turned it off after initially activating it. Those dueling accounts have been replayed through witness testimony and depositions in the latest proceedings, according to CBS News 8.
Verdict, damages and what remains
In September 2024, a jury awarded Boyd $510,000 in damages for false imprisonment and negligence. However, jurors did not return a verdict on his federal civil rights claim, prompting the judge to order a new trial on that unresolved issue. Boyd was initially arrested on a misdemeanor obstructing justice charge that local reporting has said was later booked as resisting an executive officer. The new trial is focused on whether deputies violated Boyd’s civil rights during the encounter and whether San Diego County policies or training played any role in what happened.
Legal implications
The case raises broader questions about the right of civilians to record police in public spaces, what counts as reasonable force by deputies, and how courts should view gaps or missing segments in body camera footage. A finding that Boyd’s civil rights were violated could expose the county to additional damages and increase pressure on the sheriff’s office to tighten its body camera rules and supervisory oversight. Attorneys on both sides have framed the dispute as part of a broader regional tension between police accountability advocates and law enforcement.
What’s next
Witnesses are expected to keep taking the stand through the week as lawyers battle over whose account of the brief but now heavily scrutinized encounter jurors should believe. A final decision could still be weeks out.
