Lacrosse player Maverick Lyon files lawsuit against Albany police

College Lacrosse Player Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit After Being Shot by Albany Police

You guys got the wrong guy. He was holding me hostage. Those were the words Maverick Lyon called out to Albany police officers on January 6, after he escaped his family home where his brother had been holding him at knifepoint, KPTV reported. Now, the 21-year-old college lacrosse player is fighting back through the federal courts.

Lyon, a student-athlete at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire who was visiting his family in Oregon for winter break, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Albany and two police officers. According to the complaint filed by Stritmatter Law and Levi Merrithew Horst PC, officers shot Lyon at least five times after he dropped his own knife, complied with orders, and stepped outside the home during a hostage situation.

The ordeal began on the 1300 block of NW Twins Lane when David Lyon called 911. He reported that his 27-year-old son, John “Dakota” Lyon, had relapsed on drugs and was behaving dangerously. The father, who was away from the house at the time, monitored the situation through the home’s security system and watched as Dakota Lyon armed himself with a large kitchen knife and took Maverick hostage.

Fearing for his safety, Maverick Lyon eventually convinced his brother to let him pick up a knife of his own under the guise of confronting their father together. When police arrived, Ring doorbell footage captured the sequence outside. An officer walks up to the front entrance, spots a knife, and commands Maverick Lyon to come outside. Alicia LeDuc Montgomery, an attorney representing the family, noted a clear visual distinction between the brothers. The aggressor did not have a shirt on. But Maverick did, Montgomery said, adding that responding officers possessed descriptions of both brothers.

Video footage shows an officer deploying a Taser as Maverick Lyon exits the house. The lawsuit alleges that Maverick complied with commands to drop the knife before two officers opened fire. The complaint asserts that one officer continued shooting even after Maverick had fallen to the ground. In the aftermath, video captures officers calling out, Maverick, get on your stomach, and instructing him to turn over, demonstrating they recognized him by name while he lay wounded.

Surviving Eight-Hour Surgery After Police Shooting

Following the shooting, Maverick Lyon was rushed to Samaritan Corvallis General Hospital, where he endured an eight-hour emergency surgery. The lawsuit states that he spent four weeks hospitalized and faced months of recovery. Surgeons had to remove multiple organs, including half of his right lung, alongside performing extensive reconstruction surgery on his small intestine.

The Benton County District Attorney’s Office previously reviewed the incident and deemed the officers’ use of force legally justified. Prosecutors maintained that Maverick Lyon was still dropping the knife as he came through the door and that officers feared for their safety. The district attorney’s office also noted that responding officers rendered first aid.

Beyond the claims against the two police officers and the City of Albany, the lawsuit asserts negligence claims against Benton County and county probation officer Joshua Hall. The suit claims that Dakota Lyon’s parents had reached out to county authorities on the preceding day to request his detention because of his unstable conduct.

Dakota Lyon Receives Prison Sentence for Hostage Incident

While civil litigation moves forward in federal court, the criminal case stemming from the hostage incident has already reached a resolution. Dakota Lyon pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon, and coercion. In June, a Benton County Circuit Court judge sentenced him to 77 months in prison.

Having not yet been formally served with the legal papers, the Albany Police Department chose not to provide any comments.

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