BROOKLYN, Ohio — A lawsuit filed against the City of Brooklyn, its former police chief, and five other officers alleges they violated a Maple Heights man's civil rights by failing to investigate one of those officers and helping cover up his crimes.
JaJuan Wyckoff filed a civil rights lawsuit in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas last week.
How it started
The lawsuit alleges the incident started on I-90 East in Westlake on April 30, 2025.
Former Brooklyn police Sgt. Paul Stein struck Wyckoff's car and then sped away from the scene of the accident, according to the lawsuit.
Video from Wyckoff's cellphone and surveillance footage obtained by News 5 show Wyckoff following Stein to the Brooklyn Police Department.
Surveillance video shows Stein shoved, kicked, and stomped on Wyckoff to prevent him from entering the police department through the employee entrance. Wyckoff's attorney, Keith Hansbrough, said Stein did not identify himself as a police officer.
CLICK HERE to read the lawsuit.
The investigation
Four officers then came outside and spoke with Wyckoff about the incident.
Body camera video shows Wyckoff telling the officers that he smelled alcohol on Stein's breath.
Hansbrough said the officers failed to properly investigate Wyckoff's allegations and discouraged Wyckoff from taking further action.
"Stein was hidden inside the building. They [the officers] turned off their cameras. They didn't drug test him. They didn't alcohol test him. They were helping Stein flee the scene of an accident, " Hansbrough said.
According to the internal investigation, former Brooklyn Police Chief Scott Mielke found that Stein committed traffic violations during the Westlake incident but concluded that the skirmish at the police station's employee entrance "shows no policy violations."
"This was an incident where there was police brutality captured on camera — with the actions of the police officer, including the chief of police, acting to cover those up and facilitate the crime," Hansbrough said.
What happened next
Several months later, Stein was fired. But it had nothing to do with the Wyckoff incident.
Body camera video shows Stein repeatedly punching a woman who was restrained.
Stein was charged with misdemeanor assault in Parma Municipal Court. He pleaded not guilty.
The lawsuit also alleges the department ignored red flags about Stein's behavior for years.
In a 2023 performance review, Stein was commended for working on verbal de-escalation and reducing citizen complaints.
"They tolerated Stein's misconduct for years," Stein said. "They encouraged it. They didn't supervise. They didn't discipline. They didn't train."
The lawsuit also alleges Chief Mielke violated Wyckoff's rights when he told Wyckoff what he would have done in the situation.
"I could tell you — if I would have handled this... I would, I would have pulled my gun out," Mielke said.
The chief resigned two days after Wyckoff filed the lawsuit.
"We're very glad Chief Mielke is gone — but it's too little, too late," Hansbrough said.
Brooklyn Police response
News 5 Investigators reached out to Acting Police Chief Cindy Eschweiler.
She declined to comment due to the pending litigation.
We also reached out to Paul Stein. He also declined to comment.
Stein is currently scheduled for his final pretrial hearing on misdemeanor assault charges in Parma Municipal Court on Monday.
