Jury awards man $50 million after he says officers beat him, locked him in closet

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) -- East Cleveland resident Arnold Black claims that seven years ago, East Cleveland police locked him in a storage closet for four days with no toilet and nothing to eat or drink but a carton of milk.

“I didn't know if I was ever going to come out of the room. I didn't know anything. I banged on the door yet the whole police station ignored me,” said Black.

But a jury heard Black's cries for justice when they awarded him $50 million Friday after he sued the city of East Cleveland for police misconduct.

Black says he was wrongly arrested and beaten so severely that he suffered concussions and required brain surgery.

“They literally just kidnapped me off the streets. They never booked me; they put me in a closet until the county came and got me,” said Black.

In 2016, a jury awarded him $22 million, but that award was overturned by an appeals court.

The city of East Cleveland has already filed a motion requesting a new trial.