Thomas Jason James Smith is
suing the Millvale, Pa., police officers who are seemingly caught laughing as
they use a stun gun on a handcuffed, shirtless and disturbed man.
BY LEE MORAN / NEW YORK DAILY
NEWS
Pennsylvania cops are being
sued over claims they repeatedly tasered a cuffed suspect while laughing and
joking around.
Shocking cellphone footage
emerged this week that seemingly shows a shirtless Thomas Jason James Smith
being zapped as he sits on a police station floor in Millvale, a Pittsburgh
suburb.
The clip, leaked to local TV
outlets, begins with Smith rocking back and forth — hitting his head several
times on an office cubicle.
He's then tasered multiple
times by two officers.
Smith, who was 27 at the time
of the incident Sept. 21, 2012, had been detained for public drunkenness.
He has now launched a lawsuit
against Officer Nichole Murphy, Chief Derek Miller and the borough of Millvale.
Smith's acting attorney, David
Shrager, told WPXI it is "unclear" who filmed the incident — and that
it was emailed to him anonymously.
He said the officers went too
far — and revealed that his client suffers from mental illness.
"All we are seeking here
is the truth," Shrager told WPXI.com.
"We want to get to the
bottom of exactly what happened that night and from what I've seen on that
video it doesn't look like appropriate measures were taken," he added.
Smith, who says he doesn't
remember much of the arrest, is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.
"At no time was he a danger
to anyone besides himself," the lawsuit says.
Allegheny County District
Attorney's office is still reviewing the incident, reports Opposing