AUBURN, AL (WSFA) -
A man arrested after Auburn's
Iron Bowl victory last fall is now claiming police brutality.
Britt Thomas ran on the field
at Jordan Hare Stadium after Auburn's win over Alabama.
He says he got to the 25 yard
line when a deputy stopped him and told him to get back in the stands or he was
going to jail.
Thomas claims when he started
to walk up the stairs deputies from Lee and Tallapoosa counties pulled him by
ankles back over the wall, then kicked and punched him. Thomas says he didn't
realize he was doing anything wrong.
"Once I saw the hundreds,
thousands of people run on the field, I figured it would be okay. The officers
were making no attempt to stop anybody so I was just, I figured I was pretty
safe to go out there with them," Thomas said.
According to court documents,
Thomas was being ejected and was pushed back onto the field by fans.
Thomas is considering filing a
lawsuit.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones
denies any claim of brutality.
Thomas was charged with
criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
On Tuesday a judge found Jones
guilty of disorderly conduct but dismissed the criminal trespass case.