Lengthy Seashore, California, is caught with a $300,000 invoice after three of its law enforcement officials arrested a most cancers affected person with “brutal force” for driving with an expired automobile registration.
On September 3, 2022, Johnny Jackson, who had undergone surgical procedure for his prostate most cancers the day prior, was driving residence from an errand to make a duplicate of his physician’s observe following surgical procedure when he seen he was being adopted by an unmarked Lengthy Seashore Police Division (LBPD) automobile.
In response to a lawsuit filed final October, when Jackson pulled into his driveway, the LBPD automobile parked exterior his home. Jackson exited his automotive, holding his physician’s observe, and informed the officers that he knew he had a problem along with his automobile registration. In response, the officers, who weren’t named within the grievance, ordered Jackson to place his fingers up and method them. As he was doing so, Jackson was moreover ordered to place his fingers on his head and switch so his again was going through one officer, whereas a second officer approached Jackson’s entrance porch.
Physique digital camera footage exhibits Jackson once more telling the officers that he knew his automobile registration might have been expired and that he had gotten surgical procedure for his prostate most cancers the day earlier than. The lawsuit states that, whereas Jackson was talking, “a gust of wind began blowing the Doctor’s Note off the top of his vehicle.” Jackson then informed the officers that “this is actually my paperwork for my surgery yesterday,” and put considered one of his fingers on the observe to forestall it from blowing away.
In response, one of many officers rushed to seize Jackson’s arm, pinning it behind his again and telling him that he was “about to get fucked up.”
“Listen to me, put your hands behind your back. If you resist you will get hurt,” one officer informed Jackson. “If you hurt me I will sue you. I just had surgery,” Jackson replied.
Physique digital camera footage exhibits the following battle, wherein Jackson was pulled in a number of instructions by the officers, as Jackson once more informed them he was recovering from surgical procedure. The lawsuit states that one officer struck Jackson within the head in an tried “takedown maneuver,” which he adopted by kneeing Jackson in his groin thrice.
“Why are you forcing us to use force on you?” one officer requested
Finally, Jackson was handcuffed and cited for having an expired automobile registration and resisting arrest. Jackson sued the town and police division in October 2023, arguing that the officers engaged in extreme drive and precipitated him a number of accidents by arresting him so violently, regardless of being conscious of his latest surgical procedure.
A settlement within the case was reached in December 2023, and the staggering $300,000 worth was introduced final week.
“Mr. Jackson emerged victorious in his lawsuit against LBPD [which] has not only helped to restore, for Mr. Jackson, his dignity and pride,” Michael Slater, considered one of Jackson’s legal professionals, informed the Davis Vanguard. “It is also evidence that no law enforcement officer is above the same laws Mr. Jackson, and we as citizens, have untrusted them with enforcing.”
However, as Slater famous, “A civil settlement cannot, on its own, right the wrongs committed by the Long Beach Police Department against Mr. Jackson.”