Manhandled, says disabled Little Rock man; city, officers sued

A civil-rights lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday alleges that the Little Rock Police Department has failed to train officers on how to "properly" interact with people with disabilities.

Plaintiff Eric Wilson, who is legally blind, is suing the Little Rock for damages after he was detained on a street in June 2015 and released without charges, according to the lawsuit.

The civil-rights litigation also alleges that the department trains officers to use "excessive and unnecessary force," particularly against blacks, and teaches officers to detain people without probable cause or reasonable suspicion.

The lawsuit lists Little Rock, Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner, officer Willie Christopher and retired Sgt. John Comeau as defendants.

Little Rock police stopped Wilson at the intersection of West 65th Street and Wakefield Drive in June 2015 after authorities were called to do a welfare check on a person, according to a police report on the incident.

Officers stopped Wilson because he matched the description of the person they were to check on, according to the report.

After being stopped by police, Wilson was thrown to the ground by Christopher and then handcuffed, according to the lawsuit. Wilson was injured while being detained, according to the lawsuit, which did not detail the injuries.

The lawsuit says Wilson was released without charges after being made to sit for several minutes while police ascertained his identity, according to the lawsuit.

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According to the report, police said Wilson did not follow their commands and pulled away violently while being handcuffed.

Wilson told police he was partially blind, but officers said he did not have a cane and there were no other signs that he was blind, according to the report.

The lawsuit argues that police did not have probable cause or reasonable suspicion to detain Wilson, who was walking down the street "simply minding his own business."

"If concerned about his 'welfare,' they could have observed him as he walked down the street toward his home, but they had no reason to make demands of him," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also says that video of the incident does not match the Police Department's written account of the encounter.

Wilson later filed a formal complaint with the department, but officials found that Comeau and Christopher followed the city's policies and procedures, according to the lawsuit.

Little Rock Police Department spokesman Lt. Steven McClanahan would not comment on the lawsuit.

Little Rock attorney Reggie Koch, who is representing Wilson in the case, questioned whether police had the authority to stop Wilson and said the lawsuit aims to change how Little Rock officers interact with the public.

While fatal officer-involved shootings have sparked large protests, other police misconduct that causes minor injuries is not often addressed, according to the lawsuit.

"It is apparent that positive change will have to begin on a case-by-case basis that includes confronting police who violate civil rights even when nobody gets killed," according to the lawsuit. "If we always wait until there is a loss of life, change is likely to be slow, expensive, and painful for our nation."

Metro on 03/29/2017

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