AURORA — A man who says police attacked him for no reason last year as he suffered a seizure filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Aurora and three police officers.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Rickey Burrell, 54, who said he was assaulted by three Aurora cops on Dec. 18. The lawsuit claims police in Aurora have the “custom, policy and practice of police brutality and deliberate indifference to the constitutional rights of individuals.”
His attorney, Mari Newman, said Burrell’s family members called 911 because they said he had suffered a seizure. When police arrived, Newman said, they found him lying face down and unconscious.
One of the officers, according to the lawsuit, “proceeded to forcibly drive his knee into the center of Mr. Burrell’s back,” then jerked his wrist.
A second officer forcibly grabbed Burrell’s wrist and wrenched it behind his back, Newman said.
He was handcuffed and taken into custody, released and taken for medical treatment.
Aside from breaking a wrist, the officers also exacerbated Burrell’s previous back injuries, the lawsuit claims.
Newman and Burrell said the officers attacked him for no reason whatsoever. However, in 911 calls to dispatchers, family members said that Burrell becomes combative after seizures.
Burrell’s longtime partner, Evelyn King, said she happened to be in the closet at the time, getting clothes for Burrell, and witnessed the way he was treated.
“Mr. Burrell has done absolutely nothing wrong,” Newman said.
However, in the 911 call, King appears to get off the phone just after police arrive at the townhome on Yampa Street.
Aurora police referred inquiries to the city attorney’s office. City Attorney Charlie Richardson would not comment on the specifics of the incident.
“This law firm is lights, camera, action,” said Richardson, referring to the law firm of Killmer, Lane & Newman.
According to the 911 call made that day, police were told Burrell was a recovering alcoholic, was combative and had taken the narcotic pain reliever Vicodin without eating.
Throughout the nearly 12-minute call, a frantic King tells 911 operators that Burrell is wandering around the unit, then one minute later was asleep. She also tells the dispatcher that Burrell has had three similar seizures during the past year and becomes combative after them.
“He’s fighting me,” she tells dispatchers.
At the news conference, Burrell said he woke up from his seizure as officers were taking him into custody.
“They could have killed me,” Burrell said. “I did nothing to deserve what they did to me.”
