[WATCH] Police Body Cams Capture Arrest of Epileptic Man Having Seizure That Sparked Brutality Suit

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[WATCH] Police Body Cams Capture Arrest of Epileptic Man Having Seizure That Sparked Brutality Suit

October 21st, 2017

Awake Goy

GLASSBORO, NJ – After Taharqa Dean has a seizure, he often doesn’t know where he is or understand people talking to him. It’s a common symptom following a complex partial seizure.

That disoriented state can be exacerbated into aggression if not handled properly, according to the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey.

And that’s what happened to Dean when police officers found him on Reading Street after a seizure two years ago, his lawyer says. He was pepper sprayed and ended up in the hospital with multiple injuries.

Dean is suing the department for $2 million in damages, arguing that officers used excessive force and engaged in a “merciless assault” when his seizure symptoms made him incapable of following orders.

The officers were wearing body cameras that captured the incident. NJ Advance Media obtained the footage of the incident through a public records request to the police department, and separate, un-redacted clips from the recording from Dean’s lawyer, Stanley King, who practices out of Woodbury.

Others have had similar stories across the country. In Reno last year, James O’Doan was arrested after he had a seizure and charged with resisting arrest. Andrea Nicole Hansen says she was arrested in Pismo Beach, California, for resisting arrest and public intoxication after having an epileptic seizure.

In most of these cases, including Dean’s, the charges are dropped, but officers don’t take issue with how they initially handled the situation.

While Glassboro won’t comment on pending litigation, the incident report in Dean’s case, and an expert on police use of force, said officers behaved appropriately to control Dean as he became more aggressive.

“I’ve never seen a case of epilepsy like this,” said Maria Haberfeld, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.

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