Texas Cops Assaulted Disabled Veteran, Never Told Him He Was Under Arrest, Lawsuit Claims


Police in Round Rock, Texas, said they got a call about a drunk man trying to ride his motorcycle when they approached 59-year-old George Trammell, a disabled veteran near his motorcycle. According to a lawsuit filed by Trammell the seven (!) officers at the scene physically assaulted him during the stop and never actually told him he was under arrest. Dash cam footage of the incident and a mug shot taken of Trammell that night also provide evidence of police using violence, although Trammell does not appear to offer physical resistance on tape.
The Round Rock Police Department declined to comment on the lawsuit, but in an arrest warrant the officers said they could smell alcohol on Trammell's breath and he pulled away while being handcuffed.
The police department initially charged Trammell with resisting arrest, but the charge was later dismissed.
"They were overly aggressive, used excessive force, and because of that excessive force they violated his civil rights," Casey said.
Casey said the officers should have asked Trammell about his disabilities, conducted a field sobriety test, and explained that he was being arrested. Instead, he said they acted hastily, and now wants them to pay for his client's injuries.
Watch the video, via The Statesman, below:
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Not really surprised by seven officers on the scene, as I've viewed countless times somebody getting pulled over, and then multiple cop cars show up because they have nothing better to due than participate in revenue-generating activity rather than pursuing actual violent or property crimes.
Also, autoplaying videos make me want to use links for all my web browsing.
So do they all get credit towards their quota for the tickets and arrest just for showing up or do they actually have to hit the guy to get credit?
That's actually a rather good point that I hadn't considered. I'd imagine that varies from department to department but I would not be surprised at all if there's some silly stat-juking aspect to such waste of resources.
It is noteworthy these days how common it is that 20 cops...and 15 cruisers...show up for just about anything.
It's not simply a waste of money, it is dangerous: Truly free people don't put up with this.
Lawsuits are not how these cases should be litigated. The taxpayer get's the bill and the pigs just go right on with their thuggery. Cops that commit violent assaults should be sent to prison just like anyone else. In fact, cops should be held to a higher standard.
That's why I say don't settle, and demand the most high-profile trial you can get, drag it out as long as you can, and then donate the award to a group doing investigative journalism on cops.
Win-win!
(Except for the cost of the proceedings, which, unfortunately, will still fall upon the backs of the taxpayers.)
Anyone have a video link for those of us on a phone?
http://www.statesman.com/video.....ll/vDCd63/
The guy had it coming. Most cops are saints. It's just a few bad eggs.
//doofy
I am stunned. The cops lied. Knock me down with a feather.
He did not pull away when they tried to cuff him. He was attempting to hang his jacket on his bike so he could be cuffed.
I'm surprised it only took seven cops to take this guy down. He's lucky he didn't get shot.
BOOYAH! hth smooches
The Round Rock Police Department declined to comment on the lawsuit, but in an arrest warrant, officers said they could smell alcohol on Trammell's breath and he pulled away while being handcuffed.
What a terrible article. All kinds of pretty basic facts missing, such as:
What was his BAC? Were the cops lying about smelling alcohol on his breath? Why no field sobriety test if they smelled alcohol? No blow in the tube test? With zero evidence that he was actually intoxicated, what were they cuffing him for?
What other lies are in the arrest warrant?
WRT this article, his BAC doesn't matter. Nor does it matter if they were lying about smelling alcohol on his breath (though since that generally comes pre-printed on DUI arrest forms, so they probably were lying). Even if it's 100% true that he was drunk and had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, the actions of the police were still completely wrong.
Happy Nut-Punch Tuesday, I guess.
At 42 seconds they make sure to drag him out of the view of the newly arrived dash cam.
That's the real new professionalism in action, right there.
Situational awareness.
Good boot! He totally deserved it! Don't mess with the cops if you don't want what's coming! *smooches* hth
Towards the end of the video, do I hear the victim say that he's a retired cop?
If that's true, no wonder he got a favorable judgement.
Folks keep saying the police are there to protect and serve the people.
I'm sorry, but folks do not hire security agencies to extort them, nor does private security (except where they are gov't funded or subsidized) companies get their money through extorting it's customers.
The totalitarian arm of the state know as the police, get their funding through extortion. If you don't pay the rate set by the politicians, those same police will be used to confiscate your property, jail you or worse if you resist.
With this situation, folks that were outraged with the violent cops, could simply stop funding that security agency and choose another. There would be no qualified immunity, and these agents would be accountable to the people. Cops wouldn't be shielded from consequenses. They would be fired just as any other company would do if it's employees acted in this manner. If they didn't, they would go out of business.
Why does this remind me of an altercation in the movie "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" where Mildred Natwick upbraids a bunch of NCO's for the brawl that was needed to put Victor McLaglen under arrest - while very drunk.
It took seven of them to arrest a 59-year old disabled vet who was drunk?
Shame!