‘I Had No Clue’: Black Woman Breaks Silence on Being Held at Gunpoint During Botched Georgia Raid

A Black, Georgia woman is suing federal and county law enforcement agencies after 15 officers raided her home in search of a fugitive who had already been arrested four months earlier, according to a federal lawsuit filed on her behalf by the Institute for Justice.

Joshua Smiley, the fugitive officers were seeking, was arrested in Indiana on June 20, 2023. A press release announcing his capture was reported by multiple media outlets at the time.

According to Atlanta Black Star, approximately 15 law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office raided the home of Cathy George at 5 a.m. on October 24, 2023, despite Smiley's arrest months earlier.

The raid allegedly left George traumatized. Additionally, she reportedly had no connection with Smiley.

George said in a video interview with the Institute for Justice, the law firm that filed the lawsuit on her behalf, "I wasn't shown any ID, I wasn't shown any warrant, I wasn't shown a search warrant, an arrest warrant, a badge. I had no clue who they were."

The federal lawsuit names the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, the 15 officers involved and the U.S. Marshals Service, accusing them of violating George's Fourth, Fifth and 14th Amendment rights.

The officers, dressed in riot gear, confronted George at gunpoint and reportedly threatened to arrest her if she did not reveal Smiley's whereabouts.

Speaking about the incident, George recalled the officers saying, "Where is he? Where are you hiding him? Where is he? You know if you're lying to us, you're going to be going to jail."

She added, "I have no idea what they're talking about, and I finally just say, 'Who?' and they say, 'Joshua Smiley.'"

George showed the officers photographs of her sons to clarify that she had no connection to Smiley. However, the officers continued to press her, saying, "Show me another one, show me another angle."

According to reports, the lawsuit states, "Ms. George's sons share no physical or demographic traits with Smiley other than race and gender. Ms. George has never met or interacted with Smiley."

After approximately 20 minutes, an officer told George, "I think there's been a mistake."

George recalled responding, "A mistake? What do you mean?" The officers allegedly left without providing an explanation or an apology.

The lawsuit described the failed raid as an "inexcusable error."

The lawsuit further states, "Before raiding Ms. George's home, the officers didn't check to see if Joshua Smiley was still at large. And yet, they planned the raid of Ms. George's home ahead of time, talking to the condominium building and gaining access to locked entrances to Ms. George's home in an upscale Atlanta suburb."

"When the officers arrived at Ms. George's unit, they banged on her door and shouted at her as if she were a dangerous criminal." it added.