Woman Sues Worcester Over Police Treatment Of Autistic Son
WORCESTER (AP) — A Worcester woman has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging that two city police officers used excessive force and violated federal law when they pinned her 10-year-old autistic son to the ground with their knees on his neck and legs and broke a bone in his arm.
According to the federal suit filed earlier this month, Lindsey Beshai Torres was driving another of her children to school in September 2017 when the boy began acting up and threw a drink container in the car.
Beshai Torres, concerned because the boy had not been taking his medications, called 911 for an ambulance to take him to see a doctor, her attorney, Hector Pineiro, said in a statement Tuesday.
The officers arrived at the scene before the ambulance and Beshai Torres told them of her son's diagnosis.
According to the suit, the boy threw small package of chips toward the officers that landed on the ground.
The police then dragged the boy from the vehicle, pinned him face down on the ground to handcuff him and twisted his right arm as he screamed, according to the suit.
The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A message seeking comment was left with the city attorney's office.
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