Jul 23, 2010 - Police Give Their Side
Columbia Police tell us there is more to the incident than what is shown on the video.
They say as the officers were approaching the car, it smelled of burnt marijuana.
One of the officers asked Derrick to step out he refused, and when the officer grabbed Derrick’s arm he tensed up, pulled away and moved his hands towards his waistband and console, which is why they deployed the TASER.
Police called medics for Derrick, but he refused treatment and medics told police that Derrick was fine.
Police are referring questions of the lawsuit to the city’s legal department, but they urge the public to follow the case very carefully.
Posted by Kristie Reeter
Posted
by Grant Bissell
on Fri Jul 23, 2010
Last updated
Jul 23, 2010
We're awaiting a response from Columbia police to a million-dollar federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
It accuses two officers of civil rights violations, assault and battery.
Video from a police cruiser shows Cadilac Derrick being tased during a traffic stop last year. Derrick also claims he was beaten and maced by Officers Tim Giger and john Logan after the tasing.
Authorities say the video is misleading because it doesn't show what happened inside the vehicle. But derrick's lawyer says CPD officers simply went too far.
What they did to Cadilac Derrick was wrong. When you look at it there's a way to deal with people that may not agree with you. And it's not taser without warning," said attorney Samuel Trapp.
Prosecutors charged Derrick with a misdemeanor for a struggle with police that led to the tasing. That case was dropped on July 15th after ending in a hung jury earlier.
Derrick's attorney says he intends to take this case to trial, and at this point will not consider accepting a settlement.
Click on the links to the right to see the full video or read the federal lawsuit.
