HOUSTON (CN) - A Texas policeman hit a teenager 18 times with his baton because he wouldn't get on the ground, and kept beating him after he complied, the teen's parents claim in court.
Guadalupe and Cesar Suquet say they saw Officer Michael Y'Barbo's "savage beating" of their son, C.S., on footage from security cameras outside South Houston High School.
They sued Y'Barbo and the Pasadena Independent School District in Federal Court, seeking $1 million and punitive damages.
Pasadena is a working-class Houston suburb.
The Suquets say Y'Barbo got upset with C.S. for using "questionable language" as he led the teen out of the high school.
"Y'Barbo struck C.S. numerous times with his asp baton because C.S. would not get on the ground," the complaint states.
"Officer Y'Barbo struck C.S. a total of at least eighteen times (18) with an asp baton. Even after C.S. got on the ground he was struck approximately nine (9) times after he had complied with Officer Y'Barbo's unreasonable use of force."
There was no reason for the attack, the Suquets say, because their son never threatened the officer.
C.S. suffered head and neck injuries from the beating, and is seeing a psychiatrist because of it, his parents say.
They want the defendants to cover his medical bills.
They are represented by Mark Montgomery of Houston.
A Pasadena ISD spokeswoman said the district had not yet been served with the lawsuit and could not comment.
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