CHICAGO, ILL–A federal appeals court upholds the dismissal of a civil lawsuit stemming from the Eagle Nation Cycles standoff in 2015. The group of people held hostage inside the motorcycle shop sued the Neenah Police Department and the city claiming their Fourth Amendment rights were violated when police held them in custody after detaining the man that held them at gunpoint.
The original federal court found that the officers were justified in determining who might be suspects in the incident, and who were the actual hostages. The appeals court upheld that ruling, and found that police enjoyed qualified immunity as well.
Neenah Police mistakenly shot and killed hostage Michael Funk as he attempted to escape the building while brandishing a handgun.