A Clayton man, who was arrested by Deptford Police in 2011 and held at the Gloucester County jail, is suing the municipal police department, the county and corrections department in federal court, claiming he was not resisting arrest, but instead having a seizure.
Taharqu Dean, represented by Philadelphia attorney Matthew Weisberg, filed a lawsuit last month in federal court claiming civil rights violations and slamming local law enforcement for not recognizing a medical emergency through a failure to train officers.
“We intend to prosecute this matter to verdict and recover for Mr. Dean the maximum a jury would award,” Weisberg said, adding that law enforcement ignored the medical emergency.
In December 2011, Dean was leaving a deli in Deptford when he claims to have had a severe seizure. A police officer observed Dean looking into a car in the parking lot, then accused the man of attempting to gain access through the passenger’s side door, according to the lawsuit.
While Dean was sitting on the ground waiting for a patrol vehicle to pick him up, he began to seize uncontrollably, according to the suit. Police called the man “very uncooperative,” guilty of “defiant behavior” and trying to “break free.”
In the lawsuit Dean claims to have informed police of his condition — epilepsy, a seizure disorder — and requested medical attention.
Dean was transported to Kennedy Hospital after being booked at the Deptford Police Department, where he was charged with criminal attempt burglary, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The case against him was dismissed last year.
Because Dean could not make bail, he was remanded to the Gloucester County jail for three days where he claims to have been beaten and denied his anti-seizure medications, which resulted in more seizures over the next several days, according to the lawsuit.
Weisberg is seeking a jury trial to recover a judgment of $75,000 for Dean, who “suffered sustained, serious, severe and long-term injuries” in the incident.
Gloucester County counsel Matt Lyons did not return the South Jersey Times' request for comment Wednesday.
According to Weisberg, all defendants have been served with the lawsuit.
Hearings have not yet been scheduled.
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Contact staff writer Carly Q. Romalino at 856-686-3655 or cromalino@southjerseymedia.com