Fired Colorado officer faces federal lawsuit for using Taser on 75-year-old, placing knee on neck

2 years ago 351

A 75-year-old antheral is suing the metropolis of Idaho Springs and 3 of its constabulary officers implicit an incidental during which an serviceman fired a Taser astatine him without informing and placed a genu connected the backmost of his cervix portion helium laid unconscious.

Michael Clark filed the national suit Monday alleging 2 of the Idaho Springs officers, Ellie Summers and Nicholas Hanning, utilized excessive unit erstwhile they contacted him successful his flat the nighttime of May 30.

A 3rd officer, Richard Sonnenberg, is named successful the suit for allegedly failing to decently bid the officers and to let the officers to proceed working, contempt histories of complaints against them.

“Mr. Clark enjoyed a rich, happy, autarkic beingness anterior to this event,” the suit states. “On May 30, 2021, that beingness was recklessly and deliberately obliterated by the Idaho Springs Police Department.”

Clark remained successful a 24-hour nursing installation connected Monday owed to the injuries the serviceman inflicted upon him, the suit states.

Hanning and Summers knocked connected Clark’s doorway without announcing themselves connected May 30 aft a neighbour reported helium had punched her successful the look implicit a sound complaint. Clark has not been charged with a transgression successful transportation to the alleged assault.

Clark answered the doorway holding a saw-tooth sword but enactment it distant aft speaking with the officers. Hanning fired the Taser astatine Clark without informing body camera footage shows, and aboriginal placed his genu connected the backmost of Clark’s cervix portion handcuffing the unconscious man.

Clark suffered bosom complications owed to the incident, according to the lawsuit, including humor clotting and a stroke.

Hanning was fired from the Idaho Springs Police Department 4 days aft he was charged with assault successful transportation with the May 30 incident. Summers remained employed by the department.

The suit alleges Summers and Hanning created “a wild, frenetic, echo enclosure of escalation” alternatively of de-escalating the situation.

“Defendants’ abrupt seizure and convulsive extended battle upon Mr. Clark caused him to acquisition large carnal pain, wounded and terror,” the suit states. “The acquisition of this lawsuit caused and continues to origin Mr. Clark trauma and affectional distress, on with lasting carnal injuries which abruptly and abruptly stole from Mr. Clark his astir prized possession arsenic an elderly, widowed adult: his independence.”