*A Kentucky police officer is being sued for running over a Black man accused of trespassing at a hotel.
The suit says Officer Justin Skaggs used excessive force and violated the civil rights of Anthony Gray, Black Enterprise reports. Last September, Radcliff, Kentucky police were called on Gray, 32, after he was accused of trespassing on the property of the Gold Vault Inn and refused to leave.
When the police arrived, Gray reportedly tried to flee and Skaggs used “his vehicle to run over Anthony Gray, an unarmed Black man, who was suspected only of a violation punishable by a simple fine,” read the federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court, WDRB reports.
Gray‘s attorney, Aaron Bentley, said his client suffered a shattered left tibia and other injuries, according to the Courier-Journal.
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Radcliff (KY) ofc. Justin Skaggs HIT unarmed Anthony Gray w/ his police vehicle over suspicion of trespassing! Gray only suffered a broken tibia from the pursuit, but he could have been killed! Even worse, Ofc. Skaggs hasn’t faced any disciplinary action! https://t.co/qBpaw67leI
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 5, 2022
Bentley said the incident occurred after Gray left the hotel when the staff was rude to him. When the police later confronted him still on the property, Gray allegedly attempted to evade the officers. During the pursuit, Grayed yelled that he had no gun. Officer Robert Stephens, who is also named in the complaint, ran after him while Skaggs pursued in his cruiser. When he caught up with Gray, Skaggs deliberately ran over his lower left leg.
“No reason, no justification, no warning, Officer [Robert] Stephens went to grab Anthony by the arm. Anthony was scared, and ran away,” explained Bentley in an interview with WDRB.
The lawsuit says Skaggs used the precision intervention technique (PIT) on Gray. The maneuver is typically used to stop a moving vehicle, not a human being.
According to a dashboard cam video, Gray is heard begging to be taken to the hospital as officers arrest him.
“Gray had committed, at most, a minor, non-violent offense … and there was no reason to believe that Gray posed a risk of danger to anyone,” said official court documents filed by Bentley and attorney Gregory Belzley, the Courier-Journal reports.
“I was shocked to see a police officer run over a man who was unarmed and suspected only of trespassing,” wrote Bentley in an email, according to the publication.
Police charged Gray with third-degree trespassing, alcohol intoxication, and eluding police. He reportedly pled not guilty and was released from jail on a $250 unsecured bond, per the report.
The lawsuit is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
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