assaulted or battered? >> assault in the civil context of the law is being threatened with force. that's an assault. >> reporter: ramapo police say they made the stop because they were responding to this 911 call. >> and i saw a plain chevy navajo -- impala car with four buying people get out of it and i thought they had bullet-proof vests and shields on -- >> the 911 call did not identify you by race. >> we can only go from the tape that was released by the people that we are suing. >> reporter: ramapo police referred no one cnn to the city's attorney who says the actions of the police officers involved were reasonable under the circumstances. there was a 911 call indicating suspicious activity. the attorney says the parole officers had not notified the police they would be in town, a