A black resident of North Charlseton, S.C., on Friday sued Michael Thomas Slager, the police officer charged with the murder of Walter Scott, for allegedly using a taser on him during an August 2013 traffic stop.
Julius Wilson filed the lawsuit against three officers, including Slager, as well as the North Charleston Police Department and Police Chief Eddie Driggers, according to The Guardian.
Wilson accused the officers of violating his constitutional rights, and his lawsuit claims that the North Charleston police “fostered an environment where improper and unconstitutional conduct was condoned, tolerated and/or emboldened,” according to The Guardian.
According to Wilson, he was stopped in August 2013 for a broken tail light by an officer, who was later joined by Slager and a third police officer. Wilson claims that the officers did not tell him why he was being arrested, so he allegedly refused to get out of his car.
Dashcam video obtained by Wilson’s lawyers and posted by The Guardian, appears to show three officers pulling Wilson out of the car and wrestling him to the ground. In the video, an officer appears to use a stun gun on Wilson as two other officers hold Wilson to the ground. The officers then handcuffed Wilson, according to the video.
Wilson’s lawsuit claims that he was “not moving, nor resisting” when Slager allegedly used his stun gun to subdue him. Wilson was charged with driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest. According to Wilson’s lawsuit, he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, but the suspended license charged was dropped.
Spokesmen for Slager’s lawyer and the city of North Charleston did not respond to The Guardian’s requests for comment.
Wilson’s lawyers told The Guardian that they did not originally plan on filing a lawsuit, but changed their minds following the death of Walter Scott.
Another North Charleston resident, Mario Givens, claims that Slager used a stun gun on him in September 2013, but has not filed a lawsuit, according to The Guardian. The North Charleston cleared Slager of any wrongdoing in that incident.
Watch the video that allegedly shows Slager using a stun gun on Wilson via The Guardian:
