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Former UVA Student Wins Suit Against Alcohol Enforcement Agents

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - A former University of Virginia student who filed a civil rights lawsuit after his 2015 arrest by alcohol-enforcement agents has received a nearly $250,000 settlement.

sued Virginia's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and three of its agents after the arrest, which was captured on video. It showed ABC agents pinning Johnson to the ground while his head was bleeding.

ABC agents said Johnson, who is black, was attempting to enter a bar with a fake ID. Johnson said his ID was valid.

Records from federal court in Charlottesville show the case was settled Tuesday and dismissed. On Wednesday, the department confirmed the $249,950 settlement but declined comment beyond a joint statement that calls the settlement "a mutually agreeable compromise."

The settlement contains no admission of wrongdoing.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.