Man Files Excessive Force Lawsuit Against Nebraska Officer Who Used Taser On Him

An excessive force lawsuit has been filed over a videotaped encounter in which a Nebraska police officer used a Taser on a man as he sat in a swing in his sister’s backyard with his empty hands visible. A local media report said that the stunned man, Hilario Velasquez, of Lexington, and his sister, Sarah Garrett, filed the lawsuit this past week in federal court against Cozad Police Sgt. John Peden and the city of Cozad. Cozad City Attorney Scott Trusdale declined to comment, saying Friday that the city had not yet received official notice of the lawsuit.

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