A man who was repeatedly Tasered earlier this year following a jaywalking incident in Vancouver has launched a lawsuit against the city.
Jamiel Moore-Williams, a former University of British Columbia football player, was the subject of a violent arrest captured on cellphone camera in February.
Two Vancouver police officers are under criminal investigation as a result. Moore-Williams was charged with obstruction and ticketed for jaywalking.
Seven months later, he's suing the city for damages. In court documents filed earlier this month, the 22-year-old personal trainer says he was unfairly targeted because of his physical size and the colour of his skin.
He said he had stepped into the street, but that it was to avoid being "pelted by rocks thrown by a person seeming to be in mental distress."
The documents added that patrons of the Granville Street area often jaywalk, but few are arrested.
Two days after Moore-Williams was Tasered, the Vancouver Police Department's deputy chief defended the actions of his officers, saying the arrest was legally justified. He said the incident had escalated because Moore-Williams was confrontational, and that race did not play a factor.
Moore-Williams' notice of civil claim, however, says Williams suffered extreme humiliation and embarrassment, as well as loss of dignity and privacy, as a result of the incident. It claims he suffered permanent damage to his hands, arm, neck and back.
The documents say he was hit with a Taser between seven and 14 times, after being kicked and hit in the head and body by other officers. As a result of what the suit describes as physical, psychological and emotional trauma, he's seeking damages of an undisclosed amount.
The city has yet to file a response.
