Lubbock Police Sued For 'Excessive Force' During DUI Stop
- 9 yıl önce
Lubbock, TX - A Lubbock man, Tanner Elliot Griggs, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Lubbock Police officer Charley Daniel Brewer. The lawsuit sought damages only from Brewer – not the City of Lubbock.
The lawsuit included allegations that Brewer used excessive force against Griggs. Police dashcam video was used as evidence in the lawsuit. Griggs was pulled over for a traffic stop in September of 2013*. Brewer conducted standard field sobriety tests on Griggs.
The lawsuit said, “Brewer, without instruction or warning, suddenly grabbed Griggs’ left wrist then right arm and pulled back, forcing Griggs of balance. Brewer grabbed Griggs’ throat in a choke‐hold, then kicked Griggs’ legs out from under him, driving Griggs’ chest and face first
into the ground where he lays flat on his face and stomach.”
The lawsuit said, “Unable to secure Griggs’ right arm which was trapped under Griggs’ body, Brewer clenched his right hand into a fist and punched the back of Griggs’ head twice, yelled commands, then struck three more punches into the back of Griggs’ neck.”It also said said, “After handcuffing Griggs behind his back, Brewer and [a second officer] lifted Griggs up by his arms instead of rolling Griggs over onto his back, sitting him up and lifting from under his arms.”About
a minute later, the video showed Griggs – while handcuffed – try to kick officer Brewer and Brewer appears to have hit Griggs with his fist. Griggs was not taken directly to jail but to University Medical
Center.The lawsuit said, “Later at the hospital, Brewer would describe his maneuver to other officers as ‘Pow! I punched him right in the face. . Man, I wanted to take the cuffs off and beat the s*** out of him.’”
The lawsuit said police charged Griggs with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. The lawsuit said those charges were dismissed and other court records seemed to be consistent with those
charges not going forward beyond the initial stages. A DWI charge was also filed, but it was dropped in March of this year.
The lawsuit sought money for medical bills, legal expenses, and punitive damages. The lawsuit also said Brewer should not be allowed to use the legal defenses a police officer normally has in a lawsuit because no reasonable officer would have acted like Brewer did.Brewer has not yet told his side of the story in court records. Lubbock Police said the city has not yet seen the lawsuit and could not make a statement just yet.* The lawsuit said 2014 but other official records show it was 2013.
** Due to a technical issue the audio does not perfectly sync up with the police video. They're about 1.5 seconds out of sync.
The lawsuit included allegations that Brewer used excessive force against Griggs. Police dashcam video was used as evidence in the lawsuit. Griggs was pulled over for a traffic stop in September of 2013*. Brewer conducted standard field sobriety tests on Griggs.
The lawsuit said, “Brewer, without instruction or warning, suddenly grabbed Griggs’ left wrist then right arm and pulled back, forcing Griggs of balance. Brewer grabbed Griggs’ throat in a choke‐hold, then kicked Griggs’ legs out from under him, driving Griggs’ chest and face first
into the ground where he lays flat on his face and stomach.”
The lawsuit said, “Unable to secure Griggs’ right arm which was trapped under Griggs’ body, Brewer clenched his right hand into a fist and punched the back of Griggs’ head twice, yelled commands, then struck three more punches into the back of Griggs’ neck.”It also said said, “After handcuffing Griggs behind his back, Brewer and [a second officer] lifted Griggs up by his arms instead of rolling Griggs over onto his back, sitting him up and lifting from under his arms.”About
a minute later, the video showed Griggs – while handcuffed – try to kick officer Brewer and Brewer appears to have hit Griggs with his fist. Griggs was not taken directly to jail but to University Medical
Center.The lawsuit said, “Later at the hospital, Brewer would describe his maneuver to other officers as ‘Pow! I punched him right in the face. . Man, I wanted to take the cuffs off and beat the s*** out of him.’”
The lawsuit said police charged Griggs with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. The lawsuit said those charges were dismissed and other court records seemed to be consistent with those
charges not going forward beyond the initial stages. A DWI charge was also filed, but it was dropped in March of this year.
The lawsuit sought money for medical bills, legal expenses, and punitive damages. The lawsuit also said Brewer should not be allowed to use the legal defenses a police officer normally has in a lawsuit because no reasonable officer would have acted like Brewer did.Brewer has not yet told his side of the story in court records. Lubbock Police said the city has not yet seen the lawsuit and could not make a statement just yet.* The lawsuit said 2014 but other official records show it was 2013.
** Due to a technical issue the audio does not perfectly sync up with the police video. They're about 1.5 seconds out of sync.