Plaintiff alleges Town Police Officers’ Excessive Force Violation

A shocking incident of alleged police brutality has surfaced in Winterville, North Carolina, involving the use of excessive force by local law enforcement officers. The case was filed by Malcolm Blount on February 18, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina against Charles Hamilton and other defendants associated with the Town of Winterville.

The complaint details a harrowing encounter that began on February 24, 2023, when Blount was stopped by Winterville Police for allegedly running a stop sign. Despite his belief that he had done nothing wrong, past experiences of harassment led him to panic and flee briefly before surrendering to police commands. Once on the ground and compliant, Blount alleges he was subjected to an unprovoked assault where officers tased him seven times within ninety seconds and punched him repeatedly. This conduct is claimed to be in violation of his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights as well as North Carolina tort law. The plaintiff accuses the officers and the Town of Winterville of excessive force, assault, battery, negligence, and failure to intervene as per North Carolina General Statute Section 15A-401(d1).

Blount seeks compensatory damages for his physical and non-physical injuries caused by what he describes as “objectively unreasonable” use of force. He also demands punitive damages against the individual officers involved due to their alleged malicious actions. The complaint emphasizes that none of the officers attempted to prevent this excessive force despite having reasonable opportunities to do so.

Represented by attorneys Gagan Gupta and Margaret Teich from Tin Fulton Walker & Owen PLLC, Blount’s lawsuit calls for a jury trial to address these serious allegations against Sergeant Charles Hamilton, Officer Durwin Lamb, Officer Dawson Majette, and other unnamed individuals referred to as Does 1 through 5. The case is presided over under Case No. 4:26-CV-25.