A jury has awarded $100 million to a man who is now paralyzed and requires 24/7 care after he was tasered in the back by Atlanta police.
The incident occurred in 2018 when Atlanta Police Department Officer Jon Grubbs encountered 65-year-old Jerry Blasingame, who was panhandling.
Blasingame’s attorney, Ven Johnson said, “He was panhandling and the police, of course, rolled up on him, chased him, and then ran after him.”
Officer Grubbs, who was about 10 feet away from Jerry Blasingame, struck him in the back with a taser.
“Since he’s not under arrest, he can run or do whatever he wants to do,” Johnson said. “Jerry then fell again, face forward, face planted in [cement] smashing his head, multiple facial fractures, brain injury and broke his neck.”
Heartbreaking body camera footage shows Jerry unconscious, motionless, and bleeding from his head.
The jury found both the City of Atlanta and Officer Jon Grubbs guilty of violating Mr. Blasingame’s civil rights.
They awarded him $60 million from the Atlanta Police Department and $40 million from Officer Grubbs.
“We’re really, really happy for Jerry, because what we now see as a quadruple pathetic, in other words, a quadriplegic with just a little bit of movement in his arms, hopefully now he will have money to fund his care so that he can live the rest of his life as best as he can possibly live,” Johnson said.
Would you believe me if I told you Officer Jon Grubbs, who has been on the force since 2014, is still employed by the Atlanta Police Department?
Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs said, “Do you really think that it’s a good idea to have somebody that’s $100 million liability on your force still interacting with the citizens?”
The APD had no comment on the officer or the verdict.
Watch the news report below.
My heart and prayers are with Jerry.
Source: 11 Alive
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