CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - A man who was shocked with a stun gun by an officer as he videotaped an arrest on Folly Beach is suing the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and Folly Beach Police.
Brett Ricker is claiming he was unlawfully arrested in April 2012 and is seeking unspecified damages.
Ricker started videotaping after seeing two Folly Beach Police officers try to arrest a man. Ricker says he never interfered with officers, and was tackled and shot with a stun gun without warning, according to his lawsuit.
“This was an act of aggression, unjustified act of aggression toward Ricker. It was unacceptable,” Ricker’s attorney, Matt Yelverton, told The Post and Courier of Charleston (https://bit.ly/1tR870M).
One of the officers says that’s not true. Former Charleston County deputy Christopher Davis says Ricker’s own video shows him put his hands on officers. Davis says Ricker was shot with a stun gun because he refused to be handcuffed.
Davis told the newspaper he thinks he is being sued because of his past. In 2012, Davis was charged with third-degree assault and battery for using excessive force during an arrest. Davis said the charge was dismissed after he did community service.
“He probably thinks he can get money out of it,” Davis said.
A lawyer who represents the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said deputies get frustrated when they are falsely accused of misconduct.
“In this day and age, there are videotapes everywhere because cellphones are everywhere,” attorney Sandy Senn said. “Police expect they’ll be recorded, and videotapes, 99 percent of the time, show officers doing exactly what they’re supposed to do, just like they did in this case with Mr. Ricker.”
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Information from: The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com
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