[ad_1]
Police officers – the first police to sue after the riot – say they suffered physical and emotional damage because Trump allegedly “ignited, encouraged, incited (and) led” the violent mob that stormed the Capitol.
Capitol Police officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, who have been with the force for a total of 28 years, said they were injured in the attack. Hemby “was crushed against the gates” of the Capitol, was “sprayed with chemicals” and bled in his face, according to the lawsuit. Blassingame claims he was hit against a stone column, injuring his head and back.
Each of the officers is claiming at least $ 75,000 in damages. They accuse Trump of aiding and abetting their assaults and of ordering his supporters to attack them, according to their new complaint.
Trump’s representatives did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment on Tuesday evening. U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The Blassingame and Hemby trial also describes the sheer terror officers felt inside the Capitol, as they were vastly outnumbered by the pro-Trump armed mob. The lawsuit says that Blassingame is now suffering from depression and that “the heavy emotional toll … continues to reveal itself”.
Blassingame “is haunted by the memory of the attack and the sensory impacts – the sights, sounds, smells and even the tastes of the attack remain close to the surface,” the lawsuit says. “He feels guilty for not being able to help his colleagues who were simultaneously attacked; and for surviving where other colleagues have not.”
The lawsuit also claimed that Blassingame had been labeled a racial insult throughout the assault, saying: “He has lost count of the many times the racial insult has been thrown at him.”
This is the third major civil lawsuit that attempts to hold Trump accountable for the insurgency, after two Democratic lawmakers sued Trump and others, attempting to hold the president and other speakers accountable for his words and the actions of its supporters. The lawsuits are all in their early stages and Trump’s lawyers have yet to respond to court.
The Justice Department said dozens of police officers were injured during the hours of violence and were pursuing criminal charges against numerous rioters.
[ad_2]
Source link