WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A recently filed lawsuit alleges Warren police violated a man's rights when they tackled and tased him while he was in the midst of a mental health crisis that officers were aware of.
The ACLU of Michigan has filed the lawsuit on behalf of 26-year-old Christopher Gibson, who was taken into custody on Dec. 13, 2022. Warren police said they have not yet been served with the lawsuit.
The backstory:
While announcing the lawsuit, the ACLU released body camera video of the encounter, both when police first approached Gibson around 2 a.m. Dec. 13, 2022, and inside a Warren Police Department holding cell.
Christopher's mother, Alwanda Gibson, said her son has schizophrenia and psychosis, and was suffering a mental health episode after spending time with a family member who was dying from cancer.
"I believe that's what triggered his mental health crisis," Alwanda said.
Watch an ACLU press conference and video of the incident below. WARNING: Content may be disturbing to some.
According to the ACLU, Alwanda had contacted the Detroit Police Department to get help for her son, but he left the home while she was trying to get assistance for him.
At one point, he went to Warren, where employees at a gas station called police because they were concerned about him. Police responded, spoke to Christopher, and took him into custody after discovering he had warrants for identity theft.
In the video, Christopher is heard telling the officers about his dying family member. He again brought him his family and said he was lost while in the backseat of a patrol vehicle.
An officer told Christopher that he "picked the wrong city to be going through it in."
While in the back of the police vehicle, Alwanda called Christopher and spoke with an officer. She was heard telling the officer that her son was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed to go to a psychiatric ward. She then called the Warren Police Department, but said whoever answered hung up the phone.
Alwanda said she called back and spoke to a supervisor, who she said assured her that Christopher would be provided help if he was exhibiting signs of a mental health crisis when he arrived at the department.
The next video shared by the ACLU was from hours later, around 11 a.m., when Christopher was refusing to allow officers to put handcuffs on him while he was inside a holding cell at the police department.
"You're mental, that's fine. That doesn't stop you from following directions," an officer told him.
Mark Fancher, an attorney with the ACLU of Michigan Racial Justice Project, said Christopher couldn't follow directions because of his mental state.
"No, he couldn't. The man was undergoing extreme trauma," Fancher said.
When Christopher continued to refuse to put handcuffs on, officers told him they would tase him before opening the cell door while he was seated on the ground just inside the door. Christopher was immediately tased after standing up when the cell door opened. Multiple officers then took him to the ground. At one point during this encounter, Christopher bit an officer, the ACLU said.
Christopher was again tased while he yelled about his mental health. Fancher said Christopher was also pepper-sprayed during the tussle.
"He was tasered, beaten, pepper sprayed and threatened by a barking K-9," he said.
Eventually, officers removed him from the cell to transport him to the Macomb County Jail. However, the ACLU said Christopher was actually taken to a hospital, and claims it took Alwanda three days to find her son.
According to the ACLU, Gibson had suffered internal bleeding.
"The video shows multiple officers applying their full body weight to him and causing these extreme injuries," Fancher said.
Dig deeper:
The ACLU said the federal lawsuit names the Warren Police Department, the city, and around a dozen involved officers.
Fancher said the city is part of the lawsuit for failing to provide proper training to officers.
The other side:
According to Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski, his department has not been served with the lawsuit.
"Warren police department is looking to confirm formal service of this lawsuit on the city. Generally we do not comment on lawsuits that we have not been served. We reserve the right to issue a comment upon formal service," he said in a statement to FOX 2.
What's next:
Fancher said more officers could be added to the suit.
The lawsuit is currently pending.
The Source: FOX 2 watched an ACLU of Michigan press conference and reviewed body cam video for this story.
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