63-year-old Laredo, Texas resident Jorge Cigarroa recently filed a lawsuit against the city and two police officers for excessive force and damages sustained in a traffic stop last year.
“License in hand, Mr. Cigarroa exited his truck and approached the driver side of the police car,” the complaint reads. “Officer (Luis) Ferdin exited, they met between the vehicles, and Mr. Cigarroa gave him his driver’s license. Mr. Cigarroa repeated that his mother-in-law had just died and that her home was very close. He again asked if the officers would follow him to her house. The second officer, who Mr. Cigarroa later learned was Field Training Officer Sergio Flores, said ‘No,’ and instructed Mr. Cigarroa to walk to the police car.”
The complaint also mentions that Flores struck Cigarroa on his back so hard that he felt his spine crack from the bottom to the top. Cigarroa was then reportedly shoved against the police car by Flores, who then ordered Cigarroa to put his hands behind his back, which he could not do as Flores had his whole-body weight on the plaintiff. By the end of the occurrence, the complaint says Cigarroa was left with high blood pressure and bruises all over his body.
Reports have said that a bystander reportedly videoed the officer’s actions from a nearby building, and another building’s surveillance system captured the incident.
We'll be following this story for more updates.
Link: LMT Online
Comments