A man who was slammed to the ground by Kansas City, Missouri, police and suffered substantial damages to his face will receive a $500,000 settlement to resolve a lawsuit he filed against the police department.
Mack Nelson, 44, filed a lawsuit in February in Jackson County Circuit Court accusing five KCPD officers of assault and battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
He was forcefully slammed to the ground outside of a gas station located near 55th Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City. The incident took place on Aug. 8, 2022, and was captured by a bystander who was sitting in his car when it occurred.
Nelson was reportedly held inside the gas station after KCPD officers shot and killed 31-year-old Zachary Garrard, who attempted to run over officers in a stolen car during a police chase. He was released but stayed around the shooting scene.
The Kansas City Star reports Nelson says he was upset that officers weren’t thoroughly questioning witnesses after the police shooting, so he began to record on Facebook Live and reportedly made comments the officers didn’t like.
The lawsuit states that Nelson was asked by officers to stay behind the yellow tape and he complied. He then walked to an area that was not marked off with police tape and was instructed to back away. He complied with the officers’ instructions again, but an officer attempted to arrest him, claiming he failed to follow orders.
The officer attempted to restrain Nelson but knocked his phone out of his hand and forcefully pushed his face into the ground. He briefly fell unconscious and suffered injuries to his face, eyes, and shoulders. He also had to receive stitches above his left eye.
John Picerno, Nelson’s attorney, said officers didn’t have their body cameras turned on during the encounter and falsified the police report.
“We’re satisfied that we accomplished what we could accomplish in the civil case,”…
Read the full article here
