FATHER OF ‘CLOCK BOY’ SUES TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CITY FOR 2015 BOMB ARREST OF HIS SON

The City of Irving says it was right in arresting 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed for bringing a home-made alarm clock that looked like a bomb to school

By Kelly McLaughlin

Daily Mail
October 7, 2016

The City of Irving, Texas, is firing back at the lawsuit filed by the father of Ahmed Mohamed, who was arrested for bringing a home-made alarm clock to school after his teacher questioned if it was a bomb in September 2015.

The city says that the arrest of then-14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed - who at the time was dubbed ‘Clock Boy’ - was lawful due to the teen disobeying his teacher, not being forthcoming during questioning and because his device met the standards to qualify as a hoax bomb.

Mohamed Mohamed, Ahmed’s father, filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Irving, Texas, and Irving Independent School District accusing them of violating his son’s civil rights

Mohamed accused the school district of having a history of racial discrimination and said the treatment his son suffered was a violation of his rights and the 14th amendment right to equal treatment under the law.

He pointed out that a 2009 report found that African-American students faced racial discrimination in the same school district.

On October 6, the City of Irving demanded the entire lawsuit be thrown out of court.

The city claims that its top priority is the safety of its residents and protecting the well-being of school children.

According to court documents, the city accuses Ahmed of repeatedly disobeying his teacher, who told him to keep the device in his backpack.

It also accuses him of displaying and activating the device during class after being told not to, and eventually showed the invention to another teacher who confiscated it.

The city’s response says that Ahmed’s device had a printed circuit board, a 9volt battery, wires, a transfer, a timing display panel and an alarm bell.

The city said: ‘Ahmed brought a device to school which, under the Texas Penal Code, constituted a hoax bomb. Out of an abundance of caution, and for the safety of the school children and school personnel, Ahmed was taken into custody for possessing a hoax bomb at school. After further investigation, all charges against Ahmed were dropped’

Further, the city says that the claim that Ahmed was arrested without probable cause is incorrect.

The suit states: ‘Ahmed was arrested for the offense of “hoax bomb.” The statutory definition of a hoax bomb is a device that reasonably appears to be an explosive or incendiary device, or that, by its design, causes alarm or reaction of any type by an official of a public safety agency.’

Anyone who knowingly transports or possesses a hoax bomb with intent to cause a reaction of any kind is against the law in Texas.

The city says that Ahmed’s device meets the statutory definition of a hoax bomb, adding that it believes that Ahmed’s actions show he was not entirely innocent or bereft of intent to cause reaction from the alarm clock.

Regardless of Ahmed and his device not being dangerous, the city believes that due to his actions, police had every right to arrest the teen.

In the lawsuit filed by Mohamed, the teen’s father gives a detailed story of what he believes to be true of the day his son was arrested.

Mohamed explained that his son plugged in his clock to show his teacher how the device worked. She then asked if it was a bomb, which confused and surprised Ahmed.

He informed his teacher it was not a bomb, but rather an alarm clock. Over the years, he had brought many of his contraptions to show teachers, none of whom responded by asking if it was a bomb, Mohamed said.

The teacher took the alarm clock and said she would hold onto it until the end of the day. She kept the clock for hours and at no point were alarms raised, no evacuation of the school nor was a bomb squad called in.

Later that day, police arrived at the school, pulled Ahmed out of his class and arrested him.

His father claims the officers were so forceful in pulling him from his chair, they yanked his arms up and behind his back so far that his right hand touched the back of his neck which hurt him.

Ahmed was placed in handcuffs, paraded out the front of the school with two officers on both sides of him and placed him in a police car.

The police then took him to the police station where he was booked including having his mug shot taken and fingerprinted, all without his parents present.

He accused police of not being adequately trained, but the city claims he has no evidence to back the claim up.

Mohamed’s case seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorney fees.

Prior to filing the lawsuit, the family wrote a letter to the City of Irving suggested they were owed $15million for the treatment Ahmed received.

The City of Irving is demanding that Mohamed’s lawsuit be dismissed and that his family not be awarded a dime for the complaint.

The incident caused a media firestorm, and President Barack Obama even invited Ahmed to the White House.