Man Sues IMPD After Body Camera Disproves Attempted Murder Charge

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Indianapolis and an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department sergeant, alleging the officer fabricated a story that he pointed a gun at her—leading to an attempted murder charge that was disproved by body camera footage.

The complaint, filed on July 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, names Dailen Brewer as the plaintiff and Sergeant Robyn Frazier and the City of Indianapolis as defendants.

Traffic Stop at Riverside Park

According to court documents, the incident occurred on April 12, 2026, as Brewer was driving into Riverside Park on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Brewer was carrying lawfully possessed firearms inside his vehicle.

When entering the park, Brewer drove past two IMPD vehicles parked at the entrance. Sgt. Frazier followed Brewer’s vehicle to a parking space inside the park, approached his car, and opened the driver’s side door.

The lawsuit states that when Sgt. Frazier opened the door, her body-worn camera captured Brewer with his hands raised in the air. Although firearms were present on the vehicle floor and between his legs, Brewer kept his hands raised continuously.

When Sgt. Frazier attempted to pull Brewer from the vehicle while it was still in gear, the car rolled slightly. Brewer attempted to put the vehicle into park, prompting Sgt. Frazier to draw her firearm and point it at Brewer and his front-seat passenger, who also had his hands up. Brewer immediately stopped touching the vehicle controls and was arrested.

Sworn Affidavit vs. Body Camera Footage

Following the arrest, Sgt. Frazier recommended multiple severe criminal charges, including Level 1 felony attempted murder, resisting law enforcement, intimidation, and pointing a loaded firearm.

In a sworn probable cause affidavit submitted under penalty of perjury, Sgt. Frazier claimed Brewer pointed a revolver directly at her:

“While Sgt Frazier began visually scanning the vehicle, the driver identified as Dailen Brewer appeared to be pointing a revolver towards Sgt Frazier at the door panel… Sgt Frazier saw the barrel end of the revolver point in her direction. Brewer raised the revolver, then dropped then gun and raised both hands.”

However, the lawsuit asserts that Sgt. Frazier fabricated the entire account. Body-worn camera footage revealed that Brewer never touched a firearm in the officer’s presence and kept his hands raised the entire time.

Four Days in Jail and Ongoing Defamation Claims

Due to the extreme nature of the Level 1 felony attempted murder charge, Brewer was unable to post bond and was held in the Marion County Adult Detention Center.

On April 16, 2026—four days after his arrest—a Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney dropped all criminal charges after reviewing the body camera footage and determining it directly contradicted Sgt. Frazier’s sworn affidavit.

Despite the dismissal, the lawsuit alleges the City of Indianapolis and IMPD continued to publish false press releases and media statements portraying Brewer as an attempted cop killer. According to court filings, these defamatory statements remained publicly available on official city media platforms through at least mid-July 2026.

Brewer is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, alleging Fourth Amendment violations, evidence fabrication, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, and defamation