Parents of Deering High student detained at gunpoint in 2025 file federal civil rights lawsuit

Lawsuit follows mistaken-identity stop near Deering High School during an arrest-warrant operation

A Portland, Maine, family has filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit over the detention of their teenage son at gunpoint during a law-enforcement operation near Deering High School last spring. The suit centers on a May 13, 2025 incident in which officers seeking an adult burglary suspect temporarily detained a 16-year-old student during the school’s open-lunch period.

The teenager, identified in court filings by initials because he is a minor, was leaving campus to meet friends for lunch when officers participating in the warrant operation confronted him. Accounts of the encounter describe police in tactical gear pointing rifles, ordering the student to the ground, and placing him in handcuffs before determining he was not the person named in the warrant.

What police were doing in the area

The operation was connected to a search and arrest warrant for Miles Hibbard, 19, who was suspected in a burglary investigation involving the alleged theft of items including shoes and cologne. The warrant activity took place in the neighborhood near Deering High School, around Orkney Street.

Police statements issued at the time said officers believed the person they detained matched the suspect’s description and that the encounter lasted only a few minutes before the student was released. Officials also said a second person associated with the vehicle was briefly detained and released.

• Incident date: May 13, 2025
• Location: vicinity of Orkney Street near Deering High School, Portland, Maine
• Target of warrant: Miles Hibbard, 19

Core allegations in the federal complaint

The family’s lawsuit argues that the detention was unreasonable from the outset and that officers should have ended the stop immediately once it became apparent they had the wrong person. The complaint also asserts that the student remained handcuffed long enough to be questioned and searched in view of peers, escalating the impact beyond a brief identification check.

The family has previously alleged racial profiling, disputing that the student meaningfully matched the suspect beyond broad descriptors. Police accounts have framed the detention as a mistaken-identity encounter during a warrant service in which officers said they had information suggesting heightened safety risks.

The case raises questions about how law enforcement verifies identity when serving warrants near schools, and how quickly a stop must end once a mismatch becomes apparent.

Operational scrutiny and public-record issues

After the May 2025 incident, the South Portland Police Department said it would review the event to determine whether correct procedures were followed. Months later, video from the encounter was released publicly after legal review tied to state public-access requests and privacy considerations involving juveniles.

What happens next

The suit seeks damages and court findings related to constitutional claims typically litigated under federal civil-rights law. The defendants’ responses and any court rulings will determine whether the case proceeds to motions practice, discovery, settlement talks, or trial.

The lawsuit arrives amid continued national debate about the use of tactical resources and firearms during nonviolent investigations, particularly when operations occur near schools and minors are present.