Cops mistake man’s colostomy bag for a gun – beat, Taser, mace him
An Ohio man is filing suit against Euclid police for brutally arresting him and pressing false charges against him “maliciously.”
Lamar Wright had pulled into a driveway in November of 2016 in order to “safely use his cell phone” when police, who were investigating a house in relation to drugs, ran up to his car. The two officers were Kyle Flagg and Vashon Williams, both of whom, Wright said, had their guns raised.
Wright claimed that when he realized that the two men approaching his car were police officers, he put his hands up after putting his car in park.
The officers ordered Wright out of the car, but before he could comply, Flagg tried to drag him out.
“Flagg yanked on Wright’s left arm. Wright was still seated in the car at this time, and had staples in his stomach and a new colostomy bag. This, in combination with Flagg yanking on his left arm, prevented Wright from extending his right arm toward Flagg. … Flagg’s conduct caused Wright extreme pain. Wright cried out to Flagg several times that he was hurting his arm, but Flagg ignored him,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit also claims that Wright was tased and pepper-sprayed before he could explain himself. He was forced onto the ground and handcuffed despite trying to explain, “I got a sh** bag!”
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The officers, talking between themselves, revealed that they thought he was reaching for a gun when he reached for his bag.
“There was so much yelling going on,” Wright said. “I was just trying to comply.”
Wright was then charged with obstructing official business, resisting arrest,
and criminal trespass and taken to the hospital, where he said officers “mocked” him for being in pain. He was jailed and then paid “nearly 900” in bond but was not released.
“However, after posting bond, Wright was not released from custody. Instead, his detention was extended without lawful justification. He was transported to the Cuyahoga County Jail, where he was subjected to a search via a full-body x-ray scanner. … Only after this scanning was complete, approximately four to five hours after bond had been posted, was Wright finally permitted to walk free,” the lawsuit states.
To add insult to injury, Wright also had to pay for the pepper spray stains in his rental car and was placed on a “do not rent” list by the company.
While the charges against Wright were dismissed in June, Wright still wants justice for what happened to him.
“I filed this case to stand up against police brutality, and to stand with other victims of senseless attacks by officers from the Euclid Police Department. These officers’ illegal treatment of people in the city must stop,” Wright said in a public statement. “We need justice for all the victims of the EPD.”
