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Homeless man left paralyzed, legless after arrest seeking justice from City of St. Pete: Family
***VIDEO WARNING*** The family of a homeless man who says he was left paralyzed and without legs following an arrest is filing a civil rights complaint against the City of St. Petersburg. A warning that some may find this video disturbing.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The family of a homeless man who says he was left paralyzed and without legs following an arrest is filing a civil rights complaint against the City of St. Petersburg.
Before his arrest on June 8, 2023, Heriberto Sanchez-Mayen was sleeping in a vacant lot in St. Pete.
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His attorneys told FOX 13 he had received tickets in the past for sleeping in public places.
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Homeless man left paralyzed, legless after arrest seeking justice from City of St. Pete: Family
The family of a homeless man who says he was left paralyzed and without legs following an arrest is filing a civil rights complaint against the City of St. Petersburg.
At first, officer Sarah Gaddis can be heard on body cam video telling Sanchez-Mayen that she’s going to write him a ticket.
A few minutes later, Sanchez-Mayen asks her if she’s going to write him a ticket. That’s when she responds: "No, you’re going to take the ride today. I’ve decided that you’re going to actually go to jail today. Far too many problems with you."
Courtesy: Sanchez-Mayen family
In this case, video shows police placing a belly chain around him.
Officers put him into their transport vehicle, where there were no seatbelts or safety restraints, his attorneys said.
According to the 33-page complaint filed Monday, once the homeless man was put into the police transport vehicle, officer Michael Thacker "proceeded to drive the Transport Van in a reckless manner and at an unsafe rate of speed, when suddenly and without warning, he aggressively and deliberately engaged in a hard stop for an alleged red traffic light."
During the drive, video shows Sanchez-Mayen falling forward and hitting his head.
"They took him for that ride. And during that ride, the officer deliberately stopped short, throwing Mr. Sanchez-Mayen into the bulkhead where he fractured and broke his neck," the family’s attorney, Thomas Scolaro, said.
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Officers can be seen trying to wake him up and then dragging him out of the vehicle by his ankles.
"Before this incident, Heriberto was a fun, happy and kind person who made friends everywhere he went. As a result of the injuries suffered at the hands of these police officers, my brother had to have both his legs amputated," Sanchez-Mayen’s sister, Elsa Hernandez said.
Sanchez-Mayen is currently in a nursing home in Pennsylvania.
According to the complaint, the family is seeking "damages in excess of the required minimal jurisdictional limit of $75,000."
Court records show Sanchez-Mayen has been arrested several times, including a dozen times in 2023. Past charges include open container of alcohol and trespassing.
In a statement, SPPD said, "The St. Petersburg Police Department denies the claims and trusts in the judicial process."