Taser Victim Files Lawsuit
(MOBILE, Ala.) Nov. 19 -
He was pepper sprayed, tased and taken to jail. Thursday, his family fought back, filing a $2 million claim against the city of Mobile.
Inside a restroom the Dollar General store on Azalea Road, Antonio Love says he was punished for not coming out. Police pepper sprayed, tased and took Love to jail.
An internal investigation found the officers acted appropriately when they removed Love from the restroom, but they should not have tried to arrest him.
"We're trying to get to the bottom as to why this happened. We don't understand why it happened," Tommy James, the love family attorney, said.
James said Mobile has been uncooperative and has not provided them with requested records including the surveillance video from that day. Surveillance video that shows at least three police officers escorting Love out of the store.
"This isn't a thug, this isn't someone who has a problem with the law in the past, this is someone who put up no resistance whatsoever and he gets tased three times," James said.
Antonio’s brother, Broderick Love, said his brother was tased once in the chest, once in the arm, in the stomach and in the hand."He fell, and he was choking. They were laughing at him."
LOCAL 15 News sat down with Love and his family a day after the incident. They said the police took off Antonio's hat and held it over his face so he couldn't see.
"He was shaking really, really bad," Broderick said. "He was in jail, he said he didn't know what was going to do...he was just really, really scared."
An attorney for the City of Mobile released a statement that said, "This is a regrettable incident. However, we have not had the opportunity yet to review the lawsuit."
The family is asking for $2 million in return for what police did.
James said millions isn't enough to make up for the pain and suffering Antonio is still going through.
"He can't go to the bathroom now by himself, he fears going to the bathroom by himself because he feels like something could happen to him again if he does go to the bathroom," James said.
Mobile police refused to comment on the claim.
James said the family is giving the city of Mobile time to respond to the claim, but if there is no response, the family plans to file a lawsuit.
