CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. —
A Los Angeles man and former inmate is suing suspended Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill after allegedly being beaten and forced into a restraint chair for hours.
The new lawsuit filed Monday alleges the abuse happened earlier this year after the man was arrested for disorderly conduct at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Feb. 5.
According to the lawsuit, the man said he was allegedly beaten in the shower and dress area and then put in a restraining chair by deputies for hours.
The lawsuit states the man, who is diagnosed with Bi-Polar and suffers from a mood disorder, was “allegedly combative, shouting racial epithets to the Sheriff’s deputies.”
The lawsuit alleges several hours later; he was taken out of the restraint chair and beaten again before being forced back into the chair.
According to the lawsuit, the man told deputies that he wanted to kill himself, and they placed him in a cell with another inmate, who faces armed robbery, aggravated assault, and gang involvement charges.
The lawsuit stated that a fight allegedly broke out between the two men, causing his face to bleed, and he was placed in a medical holding cell.
Many hours later, the lawsuit alleged, the man was found unresponsive, covered in feces and cuts. He was then taken to the infirmary and transported to Atlanta Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury, among other injuries, including a broken nose.
The lawsuit alleges Hill, along with nine other deputies, violated the man’s civil rights.
Hill is currently under federal indictment for violating the civil rights of several other inmates. He plead not guilty to charges in the latest federal incident earlier this month.