SCRANTON - A disabled veteran describing himself as a "short Caucasian" says he was ambushed and beaten by police looking for a 6-foot-5 Black man.
A lawsuit was filed March 1 against Chief County Detective Michael Jones and several unnamed police officers (John and Jane Doe(s) I-X) in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiff, James Hines, represented by Matthew Comerford of Comerford Law, alleges that his constitutional rights were violated under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
The complaint details an incident on September 26, 2022, when a search warrant was executed at Hines' residence in Matamoras. The warrant had been granted based on information provided by Jones, which Hines claims contained false information and lacked probable cause.
Hines, a disabled veteran, alleges that he was violently awakened and assaulted by the defendants without any explanation or questioning. He accuses Jones of dragging him outside his home and causing severe injuries by forcefully driving his head into the concrete sidewalk.
These injuries include hematomas, eye injury, shoulder injury, multiple facial fractures, along with ongoing dizziness, pain, headaches, cranial pressure, sinus pressure and black spots in his vision.
"Throughout this entire interaction, Plaintiff offered no resistance and took no violent or forceful actions toward Defendants," the suit says.
"Furthermore, it was clear that Plaintiff was not the man Defendants were looking for, as the suspect was a six-foot-five-inch Black man, and Plaintiff is a short Caucasian."
Hines is seeking justice for the alleged excessive use of force and violation of his constitutional rights.