Former IUPD chief didn't follow review protocols after policy violations, says university

This story has been updated.

Indiana University settled a federal civil rights lawsuit Thursday with a graduate student who said campus police violated his civil rights. 

Plaintiff Moses Baryoh claimed the university breached his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights and committed “tortious acts against him” during his arrest for an unpaid three-dollar parking fee. 

The settlement occured shortly after the dismissal of IUPD chief Jill Lees, who led the department in Sept. 2022 at the time of the incident. The university said Lees had failed to follow proper review protocols after the arrest. 

Watch: Body camera footage of the arrest (27:20) 

Baryoh, a master’s student in the school of public health, had attempted to pay the three-dollar parking toll with a five-dollar bill at the Student Recreational Sports Center on Sept. 7. The pay booth attendant told him that he couldn’t accept cash but that he could charge Baryoh’s bursar bill. The attendant opened the gate and, assuming his account would be billed, Baryoh drove home. 

But he was mistaken. The attendant called the IUPD, and officers Austin Magness and Charlotte Watts were dispatched to Baryoh’s apartment. 

Baryoh asked officers several times why they had come. According to court documents, he perceived Magness become increasingly angry as he attempted to answer officers’ questions. Suddenly, Magness grabbed and twisted Baryoh’s arm and the two officers knocked him off balance, handcuffed him and booked him in jail. 

Former IUPD Police Chief Jill Lees conducted an initial investigation of the arrest in Oct. 2022, according to a recent press release from the university. The department concluded no wrongdoing had occurred and decided not to take any further action. 

The criminal charges against Baryoh were later dismissed. He filed charges against IU, the board of trustees and police officers on Jun. 6, 2023. 

Both sides settled on Sept. 5. Lees was dismissed from her position on Aug. 25.  

The university declined to comment on whether Lees’ departure was due to mishandling the investigation, but in Wednesday’s press release IU said it had “determined that the former IU Police Chief did not follow the mandatory review protocols” and that “IUPD policies were indeed violated during this incident.”  

The release also said that all responsible parties in the police department had received disciplinary action and that the university would be implementing changes to law enforcement training, policies and operation. 

The board of trustees voted Aug. 25 to indemnify both officers involved. 

Baryoh and his attorney could not be reached for comment in time for the publication of this story. 

This story has been updated with the date of Jill Lees' dismissal.