A black man says that one of the Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd punched and kicked him until his teeth were knocked out during an incident in 2014.
Lamar Ferguson received a settlement of $25,000 from the city when a lawsuit was settled out of court..
Ferguson told how he was attacked by officer Tou Thao, who was seen on video while his partner, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee onto the neck of Floyd until he passed out while they were arresting him on Monday evening.
Floyd died shortly after the arrest. Police claimed he was resisting arrest after they were called to the scene about a forgery in progress at a local deli in Minneapolis.
Video of Floyd, 46, pleading with Chauvin, saying ‘I can't breathe,' circulated online and sparked outrage nationwide.
Floyd's death and his arrest has prompted scrutiny of the officers involved, including Thao.
Lamar Ferguson (left) says he was arrested and beaten by two police officers in 2014 - one of whom was Tou Thao (right), who was one of four cops involved in the arrest of George Floyd
Floyd, 44, died in police custody on Monday after he was arrested by officers for alleged forgery
Mayor Jacob Frey has called for the white officer who knelt on Floyd's neck to be criminally charged on Wednesday. Derek Chauvin (pictured) was seen pinning him down in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday
Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died
Ferguson told The Sun on Thursday that he was traumatized by an encounter with Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder, in October 2014.
He said he and his girlfriend, Brittany, who was eight months pregnant at the time, were leaving a hospital and walking through an alleyway just a few blocks from where Floyd was arrested.
Ferguson says he and his girlfriend were then stopped by the two officers.
He told The Sun the officers stopped him because they claimed he appeared ‘suspicious.'
When Thao and Thunder asked Ferguson to hand over his weapons, Ferguson told them he wasn't armed.
‘They had no reason to stop me, they started asking me a whole bunch of questions, where I was going,' Ferguson said.
‘They didn't find no drugs or any weapons.
‘[Thao] was the most aggressive one, I was in handcuffs within the first few minutes of the incident. I was horrified.
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous
1
Next
'When the looting starts, the shooting starts': Trump... Louisiana cop is put on leave after claiming arresting...
Share this article
Share
‘I was still in the alleyway, they started swinging me around and slammed me on the ground.'
Ferguson, 33, alleges that Thunder climbed on top of him while Thao started to punch and kick him.
Ferguson's girlfriend stood helpless a few feet away, watching the incident unfold.
Thao claimed in his deposition that he and Thunder arrested Ferguson because of an outstanding warrant.
The officer said he began punching him after his hand slipped out of the handcuffs.
According to Ferguson's lawsuit against the two officers, there was no outstanding warrant issued for Ferguson as his name did not appear when the cops ran it through the National Crime Information Center database.
Ferguson was taken to the hospital by the police. From there, he was hauled off to jail wearing only a t-shirt and underwear.
Ferguson filed a lawsuit against Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder (pictured above)
He had refused police requests to get dressed, according to the lawsuit.
Ferguson says the beating left him with several injuries, including busted teeth, damage to his face, back and shoulders, and psychological scars.
‘I was hospitalized for four days,' he said.
‘I had a major sublux to my face, I got four stitches and had to wear a brace for two weeks.
‘I was terrified of being around police officers, I had to speak to a therapist, I didn't like the sound of handcuffs, or the sound of keys, sapa I had night sweats for a long time.'
Prosecutors charged Ferguson with assaulting the two police officers, but he was later cleared of the charges at trial.
In 2017, an attorney filed a lawsuit on Ferguson's behalf.
The lawsuit obtained by DailMail.com states 'Defendant Thunder and Defendant Thao's use of unreasonable force on Plaintiff, in the form of punches, kicks, and knees to the face and body while Plaintiff was defenseless and handcuffed, was so extreme that it caused Plaintiff to suffer broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma.'
The case was settled out of court for $25,000 after Thao said he had punched Ferguson after he 'actively resisted arrest'.
Lamar Ferguson received a settlement of $25,000 from the city when a lawsuit was settled out of court..
Ferguson told how he was attacked by officer Tou Thao, who was seen on video while his partner, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee onto the neck of Floyd until he passed out while they were arresting him on Monday evening.
Floyd died shortly after the arrest. Police claimed he was resisting arrest after they were called to the scene about a forgery in progress at a local deli in Minneapolis.
Video of Floyd, 46, pleading with Chauvin, saying ‘I can't breathe,' circulated online and sparked outrage nationwide.
Floyd's death and his arrest has prompted scrutiny of the officers involved, including Thao.
Lamar Ferguson (left) says he was arrested and beaten by two police officers in 2014 - one of whom was Tou Thao (right), who was one of four cops involved in the arrest of George Floyd
Floyd, 44, died in police custody on Monday after he was arrested by officers for alleged forgery
Mayor Jacob Frey has called for the white officer who knelt on Floyd's neck to be criminally charged on Wednesday. Derek Chauvin (pictured) was seen pinning him down in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday
Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died
Ferguson told The Sun on Thursday that he was traumatized by an encounter with Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder, in October 2014.
He said he and his girlfriend, Brittany, who was eight months pregnant at the time, were leaving a hospital and walking through an alleyway just a few blocks from where Floyd was arrested.
Ferguson says he and his girlfriend were then stopped by the two officers.
He told The Sun the officers stopped him because they claimed he appeared ‘suspicious.'
When Thao and Thunder asked Ferguson to hand over his weapons, Ferguson told them he wasn't armed.
‘They had no reason to stop me, they started asking me a whole bunch of questions, where I was going,' Ferguson said.
‘They didn't find no drugs or any weapons.
‘[Thao] was the most aggressive one, I was in handcuffs within the first few minutes of the incident. I was horrified.
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous
1
Next
'When the looting starts, the shooting starts': Trump... Louisiana cop is put on leave after claiming arresting...
Share this article
Share
‘I was still in the alleyway, they started swinging me around and slammed me on the ground.'
Ferguson, 33, alleges that Thunder climbed on top of him while Thao started to punch and kick him.
Ferguson's girlfriend stood helpless a few feet away, watching the incident unfold.
Thao claimed in his deposition that he and Thunder arrested Ferguson because of an outstanding warrant.
The officer said he began punching him after his hand slipped out of the handcuffs.
According to Ferguson's lawsuit against the two officers, there was no outstanding warrant issued for Ferguson as his name did not appear when the cops ran it through the National Crime Information Center database.
Ferguson was taken to the hospital by the police. From there, he was hauled off to jail wearing only a t-shirt and underwear.
Ferguson filed a lawsuit against Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder (pictured above)
He had refused police requests to get dressed, according to the lawsuit.
Ferguson says the beating left him with several injuries, including busted teeth, damage to his face, back and shoulders, and psychological scars.
‘I was hospitalized for four days,' he said.
‘I had a major sublux to my face, I got four stitches and had to wear a brace for two weeks.
‘I was terrified of being around police officers, I had to speak to a therapist, I didn't like the sound of handcuffs, or the sound of keys, sapa I had night sweats for a long time.'
Prosecutors charged Ferguson with assaulting the two police officers, but he was later cleared of the charges at trial.
In 2017, an attorney filed a lawsuit on Ferguson's behalf.
The lawsuit obtained by DailMail.com states 'Defendant Thunder and Defendant Thao's use of unreasonable force on Plaintiff, in the form of punches, kicks, and knees to the face and body while Plaintiff was defenseless and handcuffed, was so extreme that it caused Plaintiff to suffer broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma.'
The case was settled out of court for $25,000 after Thao said he had punched Ferguson after he 'actively resisted arrest'.
