During a traffic stop, an
Albuquerque police officer kneed a 24-year-old man in the groin with enough
force to shatter his testicle, necessitating emergency surgery, the man’s
complaint alleges.
Jeremy Martin, a law student at
the University of New Mexico, lost a testicle as a result of that encounter.
Martin was driving through the
UNM campus with a car full of friends when he drove through a stop sign, according
to police. He was pulled over and given a field sobriety test after admitting
that he had been drinking, according to KOB 4.
APD Officer Padilla instructed
Martin to sit on the curb. He claimed that Martin resisted, however. But
Martin’s lawyer, Sam Bregman, said that all Martin did was take a step toward
the officer — at which point Padilla kneed him in the groin with unbelievable
force.
“This officer felt the
necessity to knee him so directly and with so much blunt force that it
shattered his testicle,” he said in a statement.
Martin was arrested for driving
under the influence and possession of marijuana.
He was also taken to the
hospital for emergency surgery, and lost a testicle.