by
Todd South
A
lawsuit filed this week in Hamilton County Circuit Court alleges that three
Chattanooga police officers illegally went onto a man's property and used a
stun gun on him without provocation, warning or an arrest warrant.
Officers
Derek Roncin, Cornelius Gaines and John Watkins were named in the lawsuit filed
by local attorney Robin Flores on behalf of Steven James Hacker, 25.
Flores
said Wednesday that his client "hopes and has faith that this new chief
may be able to change some things out there at [Chattanooga Police
Department]."
On
Tuesday, the Chattanooga City Council approved the hiring of new Police Chief
Fred Fletcher, who comes to the Scenic City from Austin, Texas.
During
the Tuesday meeting, City Councilman Moses Freeman told the chief, "We are
depending on you. There may need to be a culture shift to create a community
relationship with the police department and the kind of trust that we need. We
know we want you to solve all the crime as it occurs."
The
police department spokesman, Officer Timothy McFarland, declined to comment on
the lawsuit Wednesday and referred questions to the Chattanooga City Attorney's
Office.
City
Attorney Wade Hinton responded via email through city spokeswoman Lacie Stone
that, "This is pending litigation, the City Attorney's office will look
into this matter but cannot comment further at this time."
Flores
has filed numerous police-brutality lawsuits against the Chattanooga Police
Department in federal and state courts. This case references past allegations
at various levels of police leadership that he says "establishes a
pattern" of misconduct at the department.
According
to the documents the incident happened on July 25, 2013. Roncin followed Hacker
to the home Hacker shared with his grandmother, Peggy Williams.
Roncin
asked to speak with Hacker; Hacker refused. Roncin "became enraged,"
according to the court documents. Hacker went inside the home.
Gaines
pounded on the front door, and Hacker said unless the officers had warrants for
his arrest he would not talk with them.
Eventually
Hacker came out of the home with his hands raised. Without warning, according
to the complaint, Watkins fired a Taser, striking Hacker.
Roncin
charged Hacker with assaulting Williams. Williams testified in an October 2013
hearing that she was not assaulted. That charge was dismissed.
As
a result of the Taser strike and the subsequent fall, Hacker "suffered
life threatening lacerations to an artery under his right arm, another deep
laceration by his right collar bone and a large piece of glass impaled his back
close to his spine," the complaint states.
The
city of Chattanooga has not filed yet filed an answer to the lawsuit. No court
date has been set.