Cop drags passenger out of car and repeatedly punches him, Ohio lawsuit says
.png "An Ohio man is suing after he says he was assaulted by a police officer during a traffic stop.")
An Ohio man is suing after he says an officer assaulted him during a traffic stop.
The federal lawsuit was filed against the city of Akron and an individual officer with the Akron Police Department.
A representative from the city of Akron told McClatchy News it does not comment on pending litigation.
On June 28, 2024, an Akron police officer pulled over a car with two men inside, including passenger Terrell Battles, according to a civil complaint.
Officers found that the driver did not have a valid license and his license plate was expired, the lawsuit said.
Body camera footage posted to YouTube by Signal Akron shows the officer asking Battles for his ID, to which Battles responded, “you just told me to give it to (another officer).”
The officer told Battles that the other officer was busy and “you’re dealing with me now,” the video showed.
When Battles didn’t give him his ID, the officer told Battles to get out of the vehicle, to which Battles responded by “asking for justification,” the lawsuit said and video showed.
The officer repeatedly ordered Battles to exit the vehicle, then the officer opened the passenger door and physically removed Battles, with the help of other officers, the video showed
As the officers were removing Battles from the car, he could be heard saying, “why are you punching me? Why are you punching me?”
The officer is heard yelling, “get out of the (expletive) car,” the video showed.
Once Battles was out of the vehicle, he was placed on the ground by several officers, the video showed. The officer is heard telling Battles to put his hands behind his back, then punches him in the face, the body camera footage showed.
A woman in the background can be heard yelling, “you don’t have to (expletive) hit him like that.”
The lawsuit said Battles’ nose was broken from the officer punching him.
Battles was charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of official business, but the charges were ultimately dismissed, the lawsuit said.
An investigation conducted July 16 found the officer’s use of force to be “objectively reasonable,” and he wasn’t disciplined, the complaint said.
However, in January, a city of Akron independent police auditor found that the officer’s use of force was “excessive,” he “failed to adequately and clearly communicate his intentions and actions which exacerbated the situation” and he “missed multiple opportunities to calm the situation,” the complaint said.
The complaint said the officer has “an extensive history of excessive force,” has been sued in the past and “had multiple complaints against him for his conduct.”
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
