Police from San Leandro, California, beat a Disabled man with batons and were stunned by Tasers when he was dressed as Naruto Uzumaki from the anime Naruto. The person who was beaten by the policemen is now accusing the police officers of destroying critical Evidence of what happened to him and could have been helpful to him.
The officer named Ismael Navarro destroyed the video evidence, which could have been helpful to him without any proper explanation. Also, all the police records of Navarro Taser trigger action were erased from the force review file without any valid explanation.
Sorrell Shiflett’s Story
The man named Sorrell Shiflet, who is the Victim of the scene, was being detained by San Leandro Police after he was tased and hit with a baton from which Shiflett suffered brain bleeds and shoulder injury. Also, 11 years earlier, Shiflett suffered from a traumatic brain injury after being robbed at gunpoint, which later left him with a scar for his lifetime, and he also has cognitive disabilities.
Now the police are accused of injuring a Disabled man dressed in a Naruto costume and also destroying important evidence. The man who was beaten is now suing the city for its irresponsibility. The body cam video only shows Shiflett being detained by the police, not the part where he was tased and hit with a baton.
After his arrest, he continued to say that he had a previous brain injury and a pre-existing condition. Shiflett’s mother, Kelly Davenport, said that there was no way anyone was walking on a sidewalk and ended up in the ICU.
She also said her son did not deserve to be treated this way. The police officers should not behave this way towards a crippled man and later hand him over to his family, saying good luck.
Shiflett was wearing a costume modeled after an anime character called Naruto and was walking at two in the morning, which citizens called in as suspicious. When officers tried to search for him, he ran away, because he was afraid.
Sorrell Shiflett’s Lawyer In Court
Shiflett’s lawyers state that the police officers crippled their client intentionally so that he would not be able to prosecute his excessive force claims. His mother, Kelly Davenport, said that she finds it unbelievable that her son is severely injured, and there is no evidence of it.
But in court, the city’s attorney argued that no evidence states any Taser log existed and, therefore, cannot be destroyed. The city lawyer also maintained that there is no evidence supporting any intentional decision to delete the evidence.
Shiflett’s Pointer and other Attorneys, Patrick Buelena and Ty Clarke, argued that the video should have been tagged as false arrest and retained for future uses. Shiflett’s lawyer is demanding sanction or punishment from the city. In my opinion, San Leandro Police and the Police force are at fault, and the city needs to focus on its Police department. They should be punished, and the family should get compensation for their loss.
Navarro also said later during a deposition that his body cam footage has been deleted, and he does not know about it. While the other policemen said that he forgot to turn on his body cam until the last moment while he was handcuffing Shiflett.
Later, the officers took Shiflett to get medical care and dropped arrest charges against him. That is what his Lawyers told him.
Davenport said that her son’s condition is worse than before, and he is unable to do simple tasks like brushing teeth or getting dressed on his own. And it is a big loss for them.
