LYNNWOOD — Lawsuits alleging a wrongful police raid in Lynnwood in 2018 have been dismissed.
The twin lawsuits, filed last year in Snohomish County Superior Court and U.S. District Court in Seattle, claimed agents had the wrong apartment when they stormed in on July 17, 2018, and pointed guns at a couple as part of a drug-enforcement operation.
A claim for damages filed last July contended eight agencies were involved in the raid: the Snohomish and King County sheriff’s offices; the Lynnwood, Edmonds and Seattle police departments; the FBI; the federal Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The lawsuit filed in Snohomish County alleged negligence, defamation, invasion of privacy, use of excessive force in apprehending the couple, infliction of emotional distress and violation of due process. It claimed Juan Alberto Castaneda Miranda suffered “financial loss, pain and suffering, disability, loss of enjoyment of life, embarrassment, anguish, emotional distress (and) PTSD” due to the “botched raid.” He also said he lost his girlfriend, visitation of his daughter for two years and that his cat died from injuries suffered during the raid.
But that lawsuit was dismissed in February after agencies proved they didn’t take part in the alleged raid, said Jason Cummings, the county’s chief civil deputy prosecutor. Shortly after the claim was filed, Lynnwood and Edmonds police told The Daily Herald they weren’t there that day.
And a judge dismissed the federal lawsuit last week at the request of Castaneda Miranda. That came after the allegations against the federal agencies were dismissed last year. That left the claims against specific officers. His lawyer wrote in court papers that they were trying to figure out who specifically raided the apartment, but records requests of the agencies were stonewalled.
Castaneda Miranda’s lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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