By C1 Staff
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A man is suing officers who he says beat him while he was being held at the Las Cruces Police Department.
WRAL reports that Russ Flynn was being held Dec. 23 after allegedly threatening a neighbor and for ignoring officers’ commands at the scene. He was placed in handcuffs and put in a cell.
In the video now made public, Flynn is seen kicking the jail cell’s door and talking back to officers. Two officers then enter the cell and shove him back against the wall, prompting a struggle.
The officers strike Flynn with their knees, swing him around into the wall again and finally throw him to the floor. Flynn is in cuffs during the entire incident. Once Flynn is on the floor, the officers pick him up and set him on one of the cell’s benches.
A written report by one of the officers states that Flynn hit his own head and back against the wall, and that the knee kicks were to distract Flynn from grabbing an officer’s belt.
The report also said Flynn pinned an officer between himself and the wall at one point, which doesn’t match what’s shown in the video.
Flynn was in the ICU for days with a fractured skull and other injuries. His attorney sent a notice to the city of Las Cruces that they intend to sue for $12.5 million.
“There needs to be repercussions for that. Otherwise, what will end up occurring is these situations will be repeated because there will be no punishment,” said Flynn’s attorney, Christopher Cardenas.