- Police Brutality Watch

Man arrested after filing police brutality suit [more]

A 21-year-old heavy equipment operator Monday filed a lawsuit against the city of Prichard, the city's Police Department and seven police officers, alleging police brutality and seeking $25 million. According to the 10-page civil suit filed in the Mobile County Circuit Clerk's office, James Woodard came home from work on March 22, then walked to a nearby convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes. On his way home, while still on foot, a group of men riding in a Jeep and wearing undercover gear, later identified as Prichard police officers, stopped him, according to his Montgomery attorney, Wesley Pitters. When he did not respond quickly enough to their demands to come to them, Pitters said, they "manhandled" and "roughed him up." Then, they told him he could go, Pitters said. Irate, he began berating them for the rough treatment, his attorney said. Woodward has no criminal history and no warrants have been issued against him as of Monday, Pitters said. According to the attorney, one of the officers pulled his gear off and challenged Woodward to a fight. When Woodward told the group he was not going to fight all of them, he was thrown on the ground, Pitters said. He woke up in a hospital with a cracked skull, and spent six days in in tensive care and another two days in the hospital recuperating, his lawyer said. He also lost hearing in his right ear as a result of the beating, his attorney said. He has not been able to work since, Pitters said Monday evening. According to the filed complaint, Woodward was subjected to "police brutality, excessive force" and "racial profiling." [more]