Lawsuit claims SC deputies injured, mocked man with ‘mental health issues’ during arrest

A man is suing the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, its sheriff and several deputies with allegations that include malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.

Court documents state the plaintiff is mentally disabled and is being represented by a Guardian ad Litem in the suit.

The suit, which was filed on Feb. 15, names Sheriff Hobart Lewis, the sheriff’s office and seven Greenville County deputies in connection with a May 9, 2020, incident.

The suit states a Greenville County deputy initiated a traffic stop on the plaintiff at approximately 2:30 p.m. in Greenville.

The suit states the plaintiff suffers from “diagnosed mental health issues that would have been apparent to any reasonable and competent responding officer.”

When the plaintiff arrived at his destination on Chapel Road in Greenville and exited his vehicle, the deputy “almost immediately radioed for backup on the alleged basis plaintiff was looking through his center console,” the suit states.

The plaintiff remained in his car speaking with the deputy as additional deputies arrived at the scene, the suit states. The suit alleges the officers arrived “wearing military-style uniforms and appeared ready for battle.”

The plaintiff claims he was the target of an “unprovoked beating of a mentally disabled individual.”

Deputies tackle the plaintiff to the ground, at one point telling him he is “resisting arrest.”

“Without warning or provocation, multiple defendants began to forcibly relocate plaintiff away from his vehicle by grabbing plaintiff by his arms and slamming him onto the hood of a car,” the suit states. “The defendants then continued wrestling him and knocked his feet out from under him, causing him to fall violently to the ground.”

Court documents state the rest of the deputies piled on and “began beating him, by repeatedly punching and striking him, despite the fact that the Plaintiff was not resisting in any way.”

The suit alleges one of the deputies described his conduct as having “delivered at least two knee strikes” to the plaintiff’s left upper shoulder, while another said, “with a closed fist, I delivered one strike to the subject’s meaty portion of the left thigh.” A third deputy stated he delivered “strikes to the meaty portion of [plaintiff’s] right shoulder/trap area,” striking him several times with an empty closed fist, the suit states.

“Even though the Plaintiff was not resisting in any way, the Defendants continued to assault Plaintiff, causing severe injury and pain to the point that Plaintiff urinated on himself,” the suit states. It also alleges that while the plaintiff laid on the ground “with severe injuries, moaning and crying out in pain,” deputies continued to “mock him,” stating, “What the ---- is wrong with you?” and “Shut the ---- up.”

“As the plaintiff laid on the ground, face down, handcuffed and screaming out in pain, the officers walked away laughing, and stating, ‘he pissed himself,’” the suit states.

Court documents state that after the “violent attack” was over, one of the deputies told the plaintiff the reason “they had just violently beaten him was that he ‘tensed up’ on them.”

The suit also states all of the deputies had “a responsibility to intervene and stop their fellow officers from using excessive force, but failed to do so in this case, and instead encouraged and joined in the violent attack.”

Bodycam footage from after the attack shows the officers “laughing and joking about the violence they had just inflicted on the plaintiff, indicating among other things that he was ‘in special ed classes growing up,’” court documents state.

The suit states EMS responded to the scene and took him to the hospital.

“Upon arrival in the ER, the plaintiff was diagnosed with acute chest and shoulder pain, facial trauma with right orbital fracture and trauma to the left eye, multiple abrasions and lacerations to his face with a pebble embedded in his forehead,” court documents state. “He had an acute left shoulder dislocation, multiple fractured ribs, and was in tachycardia. At times he suffered deteriorating pulmonary function with left pneumothorax and right pleural effusion.”

The suit states the plaintiff spent 16 days in the hospital, including four days in the ICU.

The suit alleges negligence and gross negligence, common law liability for false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, defamation, abuse of process, and intentional and reckless infliction of emotional distress.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and asks for actual, consequential and punitive damages and court costs.
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