Akron is cutting a $24,000 check to end a federal civil-rights lawsuit filed by Terrell Battles, who says a routine traffic stop on June 28, 2024, turned into a brutal encounter that left him with a broken nose, a concussion and facial cuts.
The case wrapped up after attorneys told a federal judge the parties had reached a deal and the lawsuit was dismissed. The settlement, announced in mid-April, comes with a familiar disclaimer: the city calls it a compromise, not an admission of wrongdoing, according to News 5 Cleveland. Battles’ attorney, Imokhai Okolo, framed the payout as proof his firm is willing to “fight back against the police violence.”
What the auditor found
In a January 2025 review, the city’s Independent Police Auditor concluded that Officer Warren Spragg struck Battles several times while pulling him from the passenger seat, causing the broken nose, concussion and facial lacerations described in court filings. The review relied on body-worn camera video and bystander footage from the stop at East Avenue and Wildwood Avenue. The full findings are detailed in the Independent Police Auditor report.
City response and oversight
Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell and the Akron Citizens’ Police Oversight Board had already signed off on recommendations tied to the incident and sent them to the mayor, police chief and city council. Finnell said he waited for the civil lawsuit to conclude before resubmitting those recommendations. With the case now settled, the city has a 45-day window to respond, and officials say they have also brought in the Police Executive Research Forum to review department policies, according to Signal Akron.
Case docket
Battles filed his federal complaint in June 2025. The case is listed as No. 5:25-cv-01352 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and the docket and filings are available through public databases such as Justia Dockets.
Charges and legal implications
Officers initially charged Battles with resisting arrest and obstruction. Those criminal counts did not stick. Summit County prosecutors later dropped them, according to Signal Akron.
Internally, the Independent Police Auditor recommended changing the department’s finding on Spragg’s use of force and urged remedial training, along with possible discipline in the case, as outlined in the auditor’s report.
Why this matters
In the world of civil-rights payouts, $24,000 is relatively modest, but oversight officials say the case highlights ongoing questions about how Akron police investigate and discipline their own. The city has agreed to much larger settlements in recent years, including a roughly $4.85 million deal after the 2022 killing of Jayland Walker, according to AP News.
With Finnell’s recommendations now back in front of Akron’s leadership and a 45-day deadline on the clock, reform advocates will be watching closely to see whether this traffic-stop case changes anything inside the police department, or simply becomes another line item in the city’s settlement history.
