Plaintiff:
Kenneth Harris
Incident date:
06/10/2012
Location:
2545 W. Jackson Blvd.
Allegations:
Harris was pulled over by Officers Sandoval and Verdin for a minor traffic violation. One of the officers approached Harris' car, opened the driver's side door and pulled Harris out. One of the officers put Harris in handcuffs while the other searched his car. The officers then asked Harris to spread his legs apart, and Harris obliged. One of the officers patted down Harris' pants, and two clear plastic bags of marijuana fell onto the ground. Harris asked the officers if he was going to go to jail for the marijuana, and the officer replied, “F**k yeah.” Harris took off running, and eventually slipped and fell. Harris stayed on the ground while the officers yelled “Don't f**king move” behind him. One of the officers hit the left side of Harris' face, and Harris lost consciousness. When Harris came to, he was lying in the back seat of the officers' squad car with blood on his chest. He passed out again, and was taken to a hospital. When Harris regained consciousness, he was lying in a hospital bed and a nurse was stitching his left eye. Harris asked the officers why they had beaten him, and one responded “You f**ked yourself up.” Harris was charged with attempted escape from a police officer. The police report described Harris' injuries as “minor lacerations to the face” caused by Harris' fall.