Macon man files police brutality
lawsuit
By AMY LEIGH
WOMACK — awomack@macon.com
Posted: 10:34pm
on Apr 2, 2012; Modified: 10:34pm on Apr 2, 2012
A Macon man has
filed a lawsuit against a Macon police officer alleging the officer
pistol-whipped him in the face, causing him to have broken bones and undergo
surgeries.
The lawsuit,
filed Friday in Bibb County Superior Court, names officer Antoinne Jordan along
with Chief Mike Burns, the police department and the City of Macon.
Antonio Easley
alleges he was walking in his neighborhood, on Bailey Avenue, on April 1, 2010.
He was
listening to an MP3 player when Jordan stopped his vehicle and demanded that
Easley go to the vehicle and talk with him. When Easley refused, Jordan ran
toward Easley using “abusive, threatening and profane language,” according to
the lawsuit.
Easley ran
away, but Jordan caught up with him and sat on top of him. Jordan struck Easley
at least twice in the face with his gun, knocking Easley unconscious, according
to the lawsuit.
Easley claims
he was still unconscious when Jordan handcuffed him and moved him. Although a
witness called for an ambulance and an ambulance arrived, Jordan wouldn’t let a
paramedic render aid, according to the court document.
Jordan then
took Easley to the Bibb County jail and charged him with obstruction for his
attempt to run away. A magistrate dismissed the warrant the following morning,
according to the lawsuit.
Easley then
went to The Medical Center of Central Georgia where doctors found that he had
multiple broken, splintered and crushed facial bones. He later underwent
surgery to repair the damage, according to the lawsuit.
Easley also
claims his Fourth Amendment rights were violated through false imprisonment and
excessive force.
Macon police
referred comment to the city attorney’s office.
Mayoral
spokesman Chris Floore said the city hadn’t received a copy of the lawsuit
Monday and couldn’t comment.
A call to
Easley’s attorney wasn’t returned Monday.
Easley is
seeking compensatory and punitive damages. His medical bills were in excess of $30,000
and he argues he may have future medical expenses to address permanent
injuries, according to the lawsuit.
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.