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Sean Williams, who was put in the water by a police officer from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before being arrested, filed a lawsuit alleging that the officer had made excessive use of force and violated his civil rights.
The lawsuit names the Lancaster City Police Department and Agent Philip Bernot as defendants, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by NBC Miami. He contends that Williams, 27, had not committed any offense to justify the use of a Taser "in violation of federal law".
Williams' lawsuit states that agents asked him to take a seat on the sidewalk, "Surprised" because he "had done nothing wrong", but that he was complying "without resistance" in an effort not to cause problems.
In a video of the incident, Bernot can be heard telling Williams, who was sitting on the sidewalk at that time, to put his "legs straight or you made taste." Williams stretched his legs but kept them folded, and another officer is heard saying, "Straight ahead and cross them. He pulls his legs toward the sidewalk and the officer uses the Taser gun.
However, the lawsuit claims that the 27-year-old man complied with agents' demands and was "asked to cross his legs." 19659002] "Even though the plaintiff cooperated, Bernot pulled his Taser into the back of the plaintiff and the plaintiff fell back, writhing in pain," says the lawsuit
even after being handcuffed and placed in custody, his lawsuit claims that he was not offered any water or medical care .. extreme pain. "Although, a police statement claimed that it was verified by EMS . Following a snack, Williams suffers from "severe head, neck, shoulder and head pains" and has "disabling anxiety".
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In addition to the argument that the use of a taser was unjustified, the lawsuit accuses Williams racially profiled and that the Lancaster Police Department has a history of "intentional discrimination" against minorities. He also asserts that his right to the Eighth Amendment was violated when he suffered "cruel and unusual punishment".
In a video statement posted on Facebook, Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace said she was upset when she saw the video and that it "worries me a lot".
force very seriously, "she said. "It also confirmed my desire to set up a body camera program in the city of Lancaster."
The incident occurred while the police were responding to a call from one man with a bat who was picking on another. According to a police statement, the police told Williams that Williams had tried to prevent a woman from entering her apartment and that they had tried to help the woman and get away from him. To move Williams away from his. They said that Williams was coming back wearing sneakers and wanted to fight, "he said.
Police officers checked Williams' background and found that he had a criminal arrest warrant underway for his arrest arising from the initial charges of possession of a controlled substance and drunkenness.
He was released on bail of $ 5,000, according to the statement. Following the viral release of the video A rally was held Friday in support of Williams.The police statement explained that all cases of use of force are reviewed by the training framework on the use of force and command personnel.
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