Originally posted Wednesday, February 20, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Qri Montague, producer and on-air personality for Hot 107.9, was handcuffed and tased last October by an Atlanta police officer after a minor traffic stop and she is now planning to file suit.
She said she was originally pulled over for not signaling while changing lanes on I-20. Based on her account, the officer cuffed her outside the car. She was told to stay in one place while he checked her identification. But she got up to try to change shirts because the one she wore had a Hot 107.9 logo on it. She didn’t want to embarrass her employer in case there was a mugshot. She said he tased her without provocation.
Her attorney Mawuli Davis said in an interview that he is planning to file a lawsuit on her behalf charging excessive force by officer Lemuel Gardner, who has since left the force, and the Atlanta Police Department.
Davis also noted that Gardner did not turn on his body camera so there is no video to corroborate her account. But he said he will provide medical evidence that she was tased.
Carlos Campos, spokesman for APD, wrote in an email: "We don't comment on lawsuits. But I can confirm that she filed a complaint on the officer. We started to open an investigation into the officer's actions, but the officer resigned almost immediately."
Davis said Montague came to traffic court today to have charges of reckless driving dismissed. The solicitor will review the case and get back to her, Davis said. UPDATE on February 27: the reckless driving charge was dismissed. She still plans to pursue the lawsuit.
Montague does on air and production work for the Durrty Boyz night show on Hot. A radio station spokesman sent this statement of fact: "She works for Radio One as a part-time board operator."
According to her Linkedin page, the Georgia State University graduate joined Hot in August, 2017.
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