Epileptic man mistaken for drug abuser beaten by Indianapolis police, lawsuit claims [View all]

INDIANAPOLIS - A seizure patient has filed a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, claiming officers beat and arrested him after mistaking his symptoms for being high on drugs.

In his federal civil rights lawsuit, Randy Lynn of Indianapolis claims he suffered an epileptic seizure after shoveling snow from a sidewalk in the 2500 block of West Washington Street on Feb. 2, 2011. He fell to the ground and suffered a bloody nose, prompting paramedics to be called.

When IMPD officers arrived, Lynn's lawsuit claims officers immediately assumed that he was intoxicated.

He accuses Officer Timothy Huddleston of forcing him back to the ground during a struggle, and then Officer Nathan Challis is accused of using a Taser to jolt him three times during his arrest.

Lynn also accuses the officers of striking him on the head several times, while shocking him with a Taser on the neck, the lower back and his leg.

His lawsuit claims he was entirely unaware of what was going on due to his medical condition.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/epileptic-man-mistaken-for-drug-abuser-beaten-by-indianapolis-police-lawsuit-claims