Man sues Portland police over parking lot beating
A man arrested on a drunken driving charge has sued the Portland police for $545,000, alleging officers beat and used stun guns on him without provocation.
The June 2011 incident was captured on parking lot surveillance video. It shows officers trying to handcuff Jason Matthew Cox and taking him down, with one officer punching him several times.
The Oregonian reported lawyers for Cox say it shows he didn’t fight officers.
The Police Bureau says it shows no misconduct, that Cox resisted arrest combatively and talked about military police training, raising fears about his fighting skills and the possibility he was armed.
One of his attorneys said the 39-year-old Cox suffered a torn shoulder muscle that cost him his iron worker job.
