ST. LOUIS (CN) - Two police officers in a St. Louis suburb beat and Tasered a man and dumped him under a bridge across the state line, for no particular reason, the man claims in Federal Court. Terrell Wilhite says two Bellefontaine Neighbors cops "apprehended, beat, Tazed and handcuffed" him on May 2, 2009, though they never charged him with a crime.
Despite several requests for medical help, Wilhite says, the officers drove him to Granite City, Ill., and dumped him under a bridge.
Wilhite claims the officers, whose names he does not know, "used unnecessary, unreasonable and excessive force," violating his constitutional rights. And he says they did this though he "was not being placed in custody, had not failed to comply with a lawful directive or command of the officers, and had not threatened the officers or anyone else with physical violence. Therefore, the use of force was unreasonable because it was not necessary for any purpose."
Wilhite says he was hospitalized for four days and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
He seeks punitive damages. He is represented by J. Justin Meehan.
Bellefontaine Neighbors is 10 miles north of St. Louis.
Follow @@joeharris_stl
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
-
Contributor-Test-Post-2024-04-12 April 12, 2024
