Lawsuit alleges police used Taser on man 13 times before death
An East Point, Ga. attorney has filed a lawsuit against the city’s police department for allegedly violating department policies during an encounter with a man.
According to attorney Chris Stewart, Gregory Towns was tased up to 13 times before he died.
He was handcuffed at the time of the incident.
Police records show two officers used their Tasers repeatedly to try to make Gregory Towns get up. “This is a direct violation of their own rules,” Stewart said. “You cannot use a Taser to escort or prod a subject.”
The lawsuit comes after the April death of Towns after he was repeatedly “drive-stunned” with Tasers by East Point police in an apparent effort to make him get up and walk after a foot chase. Stewart said he is using copies of the city’s own documents to piece together what happened in behalf of Towns’ family.
Stewart alleges records combined with eyewitness accounts show two officers violated the city’s standard operating procedures for Tasers. “He wasn’t cursing. He wasn’t being abusive. He was saying, ‘I’m tired,’” Stewart said.
Stewart said logs and other information from the city, show two officers triggered their Tasers 13 times during the incident. 10 of the shots came from Sgt. Marcus Eberhart and three from officer Howard Weems. Officer accounts vary, but none comes close to 13 Taser stuns.
A spokesperson said the city does not comment on pending or potential litigation.
We will keep you updated on the developments of this story.
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