City, former JPD officer targeted in civil lawsuit for violent arrest in Douglas this summer

Christopher Williams Jr. claims Brandon LeBlanc acted maliciously, and CBJ failed to properly supervise and train officer

Screenshot from footage from the bodycam worn by Juneau Police Department Officer Terry Allen during an incident on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, that resulted in the resignation of Officer Brandon LeBlanc (pictured) when he threw Christopher Williams Jr. onto a sidewalk. (Juneau Police Department)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A civil lawsuit alleging a former Juneau Police Department officer inflicted "severe, permanent physical impairment" with "intentional malice" has been filed against the officer and the city by a man who was thrown to the ground during an arrest in Douglas this summer.

Christopher Williams Jr. filed the lawsuit Thursday at the Juneau courthouse against Brandon LeBlanc, who resigned at JPD’s request a month after the July 30 incident, and the City and Borough of Juneau. The lawsuit asserts CBJ "failed to reasonably hire and/or train and/or supervise Officer LeBlanc, which was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff."

The city has not yet been served with the lawsuit, CBJ Attorney Emily Wright stated in an email to the Juneau Independent on Tuesday morning. JPD Deputy Police Chief Krag Campbell also stated in an email Tuesday afternoon the department can’t respond to the lawsuit since it hasn't yet been served.

LeBlanc did not immediately respond to a phone message from the Juneau Independent on Tuesday. In an Oct. 14 interview, he defended his actions, stating "when you're in a situation, no matter what it is, if you feel like your life is in danger, if you need to use force of any kind, you make a split-second decision."

Jeff Barber, an attorney representing Williams, said in an interview Tuesday that while his client may have acted hostily toward LeBlanc, none of the actions or words justify illegal use of force by the officer.

"It looks like he could have been more docile in the video," Barber said. "But at the same time, it certainly didn't warrant the actions of being violently thrown to the concrete."

The incident occurred outside the Douglas Public Library when Williams’ fiancée, Marisa Didrickson, was being arrested following a confrontation where she was accused of physically and verbally accosting a man waiting at a bus stop. She yelled at Williams to "get him" — referring to the man she confronted — as she was being detained. Williams was ordered by JPD officers not to get involved in the matter and police bodycam footage shows LeBlanc pushing Williams away while giving one such order.

Williams responded by protesting verbally and moving toward LeBlanc, at which point the officer told Williams he was "going to jail." LeBlanc put Williams against the front of a patrol car to arrest him.

The lawsuit quotes bodycam footage of LeBlanc telling Williams to put his arms behind his back and "you about to get slammed" moments before the officer used a bear hug movement to take Williams down to the pavement. LeBlanc said he used the takedown technique because Williams was resisting arrest.

"Officer LeBlanc slammed the plaintiff in such a way that the plaintiff’s head hit the concrete hard, causing the plaintiff to lose consciousness and suffer serious injury," the lawsuit asserts. It also states LeBlanc described the takedown as a "suplex type" move that the lawsuit asserts is "a banned wrestling maneuver."

"One of the reasons that the suplex has been banned from high school and college wrestling is the high risk of head and neck injury to the person being taken down," the lawsuit states.

JPD bodycam and dashboard camera footage do not clearly show the level of resistance by Williams while LeBlanc is ordering him to put his hands behind his back. Barber said his client may have been reacting naturally to the actions of the officer.

"Most people are going to struggle to some extent (when) put in that situation where they're having force used against them like that violently," Barber said. "And there's certainly less violent ways to de-escalate that situation than throwing someone down on the ground like that."

The state Department of Law declined to seek criminal charges against LeBlanc following a two-month investigation, although a letter to JPD noted LeBlanc’s actions and statements raised questions about whether he was "motivated by something other than just the belief he needed to arrest Mr. Williams."

"However, based on the totality of the circumstances, including Mr. Williams’ resistance and apparent active struggle against Officer LeBlanc’s attempts to handcuff him; the officer’s knowledge that Mr. Williams had not been patted down and his concern that Mr. Williams might be armed; and his subsequent desire to handcuff Mr. Williams quickly so a pat search could be conducted — it is likely that the State would not be able to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Officer LeBlanc was not justified in using nondeadly force for the purposes of making an arrest or stop in this instance," the Oct. 10 letter states.

The report follows a JPD investigation that stated LeBlanc used a restraint technique not taught by the department. Juneau Police Chief Derek Bos subsequently told the Juneau Assembly on Sept. 29 that LeBlanc is "a good officer who made a very bad mistake on that day." The city, in a press release issued the same day, quoted City Manager Katie Koester as saying "the officer’s resignation reflects the seriousness of what occurred, and our obligation to uphold the standards of conduct our community expects."

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages for medical expenses, loss of earnings, physical impairment and other reasons.

"We're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses," said Jeff Barber, an attorney representing Williams, in an interview Tuesday.

Williams sustained fractures to his skull, collarbone and ribs, as well as brain and other injuries, according to the lawsuit. Barber said that, in addition to initial surgery immediately after the incident, Williams recently returned home from further surgical treatment.

"These are the kind of injuries that normally involve lifelong residual symptoms," Barber said.

A previous civil lawsuit was filed against LeBlanc when he was an officer with the City of Gretna Police Department in Louisiana due to his alleged role in a July 31, 2013, traffic stop involving multiple officers. The plaintiff asserted his jaw was broken during a struggle with another officer, and LeBlanc subsequently "used excessive force and committed battery" by tasing him while multiple officers were trying to handcuff him. A jury ruled in LeBlanc’s favor.

LeBlanc had 16 total years of law enforcement experience when he joined JPD in August of 2024. JPD Chief Derek Bos, when asked by Juneau Assembly members at a meeting earlier this year if LeBlanc’s background was known when hiring him, said the verdict in the Louisiana case suggested he "did his job and did it well" in that instance.

Barber questioned what evaluation the city and JPD took beyond the verdict in assessing LeBlanc’s actions in the Louisiana case, as well as investigating if there were other actions in his past that would make him an unsuitable hire.

LeBlanc resigned at JPD’s request one day before bodycam footage of the incident was made public. As a condition of his resignation, he was allowed to keep all of a $40,000 signing bonus rather than repaying most of it since he failed to serve the four-year term stipulated in his employment contract.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.