SANFORD, Fla. — A man who was held at gunpoint and then shocked with a Taser by two
Seminole County deputies is now filing a civil lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office, claiming the deputies violated his civil rights.
Deputies Erik Ducharme and Chris Clutter have since been fired over the incident, but both are petitioning to get their jobs back.
Robert Wilds was driving a black vehicle with tinted windows when he was pulled over in Sanford because the deputies suspected he was not wearing a seat belt.
Dashboard videos from the deputies’ patrol car show both deputies immediately jump out of their squad cars with guns drawn. Clutter grabs a shotgun from the trunk and points it at Wilds as Ducharme drags Wilds from the car.
“(They) had no rights at the time, whatsoever,” Wilds said. “Might as well had been a stray dog on the streets that the dog catchers just got.”
Video then shows Clutter pointing the gun at Wilds as Wilds was being shot with a Taser.
Wilds was initially charged with resisting arrest with violence, but prosecutors dropped the charges after they saw the video.
“They unlawfully arrested me, unlawfully stopped me, and the force they use, can I say back in the 60s, 70s, police brutality, isn’t necessary,” said Wilds.
Wilds’ attorney, Shayan Modarres, believes what happened to his client might have gone unnoticed if it weren’t for the dashcam video.
Modarres said the case is stronger because both officers were fired, which means even the sheriff believes they went too far.
“It’s an egregious case of police misconduct. They clearly had it out for him,” said Modarres.
Wilds said he believes he might have been a target for officers because he served time for armed robbery.
A spokesperson for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said it is aware of the lawsuit and has no comment because of the pending litigation.
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/dashcam-video-shows-deputies-shoot-man-taser-victi/nTLy6/
That’s not law enforcement, that’s harassment and thuggery. Those “cops” should be more than just fired, they should be in prison.
Yep, them cops should be thrown in prison to give them some good long hard time to think about what they did and how they act. I hope that guy wins his suit against the cops big time. I am sure he will win.
How old is that lawyer? He looks fresh out of law school. I’d get someone else more veteran for the job. But that’s just me.
As far as the incident goes, hang the bastards and then tase them while they’re struggling for their last breath. It may sound gruesome, but I have no love for the police of any kind after what they did to me.
You forgot one thing though NC – hit em up witht some real good meth or something to keep them from passing out or whatever. That way they would have to experience pain for perhaps a bit longer. Devious eh?
I agree with both of you, i dont like police either, they are criminals and they deserved to be punished by the people.
NC, the problem with a veteran lawyer is that they are totally ingrained into the system, meaning that they consider the client a money snag and the system a cash cow.
A young lawyer is naive, hungry and willing to make his stake. An old lawyer is tired, compromised and channeled.
This is a civil case so I am not sure that what I am about to say is as applicable. But in any criminal case, a lawyer as counsel is the same thing as saying “I am incompetent, and need to hire a stranger to represent me”.
Take that for what you will. I believe in it…
In TX, the video would have been erased.
cops are tax sucking bureaucrats with guns. and worse they’re jacked up on steroids. this crap will stop once they are drug tested
They swarmed on him like that for a seatbelt? WTF? How much does it cost to have 4 cops pulling over everybody for everything? Serious Jackboot want-to-be’s. Random drug test all police. Know your rights and forget about the law. I bet cops kill and injure more innocent people then all crime combined.
Your passenger should always be Mr. Colt he likes dealing with thugs like this…. that is the only thing we can do at this point, when a cop acts like this he is on his own,no state backup, they are outside the rule of law, they are at that time no different than any other bad gunmen…if this was a bad gunmen trying to rob you, how would you handel it,,, this is no different and you have every right to kill to protect yourself..