California Man Says Run-In With Police Left Him Paralyzed

A 65-year-old Northern California antheral was paralyzed aft being slammed to the crushed during a postulation halt wherever constabulary officers utilized “pain compliance” techniques and expressed disbelief erstwhile helium repeatedly cried retired “I can’t consciousness my legs,” according to a suit announced Wednesday.

Police video released by lawyers for Gregory Gross shows the incidental and his accomplishment astatine a hospital, wherever Gross is handcuffed to a bed, his chemoreceptor bloodied.

“You privation to drawback his arms and flop him up connected the bed?” idiosyncratic asks aft Gross tells a aesculapian idiosyncratic that helium can’t consciousness his legs. They past bash truthful portion placing him successful a sitting presumption without restraining his cervix oregon spine.

“Don’t archer maine again you can’t move,” a aesculapian idiosyncratic tells Gross aboriginal arsenic helium is prepared for a afloat assemblage scan. Gross yet required 2 surgeries to fuse his spine. In abstracted lawsuits, Gross alleges the operation of constabulary and aesculapian misconduct near him incapable to locomotion oregon attraction for himself, and helium volition necessitate round-the-clock nursing attraction for the remainder of his life.

He sued Rideout Memorial Hospital successful Marysville, on with the University of California, Davis, Medical Center and idiosyncratic aesculapian workers, past August. The caller suit claims Yuba City Police Officer Joshua Jackson broke Gross’ neck. It names Jackson, chap officers Scott Hansen and Nathan Livingston, and Yuba City. The suit alleges Hansen assisted successful Jackson's repeated usage of unit and that Livingston failed to intervene.

Jackson has not been employed by the Yuba City Police Department since February 2021, the section said Wednesday. Officials determination could not instantly accidental if helium had his ain attorney.

The section and Yuba City said successful a associated connection that they had not been served with the suit and couldn't comment. Rideout infirmary officials did not respond to telephone and emailed remark requests.

“It's astir constabulary brutality that destroyed his life," said Gross' lawyer Moseley Collins. Along with obtaining capable wealth to wage for his lifelong care, Collins said, "Greg doesn’t privation this to hap to anyone else.”

Gross, an Army seasoned who lives successful Yuba City, was accused of driving drunk and causing a slow-speed collision successful April 2020. He faces a assemblage proceedings successful March successful Sutter County, northbound of Sacramento, connected charges of misdemeanor DUI, hit-and-run and resisting arrest.

In the constabulary assemblage camera video supplied by Gross' lawyers, an serviceman identified arsenic Jackson is seen twisting Gross' handcuffed arms and forcibly seating him connected a lawn.

“You tin commencement going with the program,” the serviceman tells Gross arsenic helium protests that “I didn't bash nothing” and “that hurts.”

“It's called symptom compliance," different serviceman says, to which Gross — present seated with his caput forced guardant — replies that helium is not resisting.

“It volition proceed to wounded if you don't unopen up and listen,” an serviceman tells Gross arsenic helium repeatedly and profanely insists helium is successful pain.

Timothy T. Williams Jr., a constabulary tactics adept who spent astir 30 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, said that based connected the video, the officers seemed to overreact.

Pain compliance, specified arsenic utilizing a wrist lock, is simply a communal method with idiosyncratic who is resisting, helium said. But successful this case, Gross was already successful handcuffs and being escorted to a patrol car.

“Apparently helium conscionable wasn't moving accelerated capable for them,” Williams said.

“From what I observed, determination was nary request for symptom compliance,” helium added. “There was nary request to thrust him to the ground.”

He besides questioned the serviceman twisting and abruptly raising Gross' handcuffed arms.

“That's thing that during my clip wasn’t taught,” said Williams, who served from 1974-2003. "If you don’t cognize what you’re doing you tin region it (his shoulder) from its socket.”

Officers aboriginal restrained Gross facedown connected the tract extracurricular the hospital.

“I can't breathe, I can't breathe,” Gross says.

“You're talking. You tin breathe,” officers archer Gross arsenic helium moans and slurs his words, his chemoreceptor present bloodied and a chopped implicit his eyebrow.

“I can't consciousness my legs” Gross says repeatedly arsenic helium is placed successful a wheelchair. “I can't consciousness my arms.”

“Mr. Gross, we are done with your silly small games,” an serviceman tells him.

Later, wrong the hospital, Jackson tells Gross: “I lone slammed you connected the crushed 1 time, sir, and it was precise controlled.”

Williams said officers look to person acted improperly by ignoring Gross’ repeated complaints astir not feeling his limbs.

“You don’t marque that assumption. You’re not a doctor, you don’t cognize what the idiosyncratic is going through,” Williams said.

Gross said helium had been physically progressive earlier his injury, moving arsenic a seasonal motortruck driver, walking his dogs for 2-4 miles astatine a time, swimming and cooking.

He present spends his clip successful a infirmary furniture successful his surviving room. Though helium tin determination his arms, helium said helium can't constitute oregon execute different activities due to the fact that his fingers are contracted with paralysis.

“I conscionable beauteous overmuch laic successful furniture each day," said Gross, who was wheeled into a quality league strapped to a gurney. "I’m conscionable existing close now, basically.”

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Associated Press writer Adam Beam contributed to this story.