Following an alleged incident at a Murray bar in January, a Maryland man is suing the Calloway County police department, alleging that an officer tackled him to the ground, resulting in a traumatic head injury.
Griffin Deese, an officer of the Murray Police Department, is accused of excessive use of force, common law battery, negligence, egregious negligence, and abuse of process in the lawsuit filed by Liam Traube of Frederick County, Maryland.
In addition, the lawsuit accuses Deese’s supervisors, Dustin Bevel, Jay Herndon, Angel Clere, and Samuel Bierds, of gross negligence, negligence, and supervisory liability. The suit argues that Deese’s supervisors failed to reprimand, retrain, or sanction him after he tackled Traube.
Murray officers responded to a 911 call from a local restaurant on January 1, according to the lawsuit. The owner was reportedly concerned about an unruly customer who was allegedly attempting to fight staff members. Officers Griffin Deese and Mairkqus Thompson are depicted arriving at the scene in body camera footage reviewed by The Courier Journal.
A man standing outside the restaurant informed the officers that the customer had fled down an alleyway that was adjacent to the bar, as evidenced by the video. The officers pursued the man’s direction and encountered Traube, who was exiting the restaurant with his back to them.
According to court documents, the owner informed dispatchers that the customer in question was donning a vest, hat, and flannel. According to the lawsuit, Traube was not wearing a vest or cap when officers initially encountered him, and his shirt was concealed by his coat.
Deese is audible in the video, commanding Traube to cease his movement; however, he did not immediately identify himself as a police officer. Traube is observed turning toward the officers with his hands raised after Deese identifies himself, and Deese then tackles him to the ground. The lawsuit alleges that Traube was rendered incapacitated as a result of striking his head on the concrete.
Traube is depicted in the body camera video bleeding from his cranium and ear as officers place him in handcuffs. Deese is audible as he confirms that Traube is hemorrhaging and that he believes Traube “broke his nose” before he calls for first responders, retrieves medical supplies from his vehicle, and applies aid with other officers until assistance arrives.
Traube was initially transported to Murray-Calloway County Hospital by first responders; however, he was subsequently relocated to Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, via helicopter. According to the lawsuit, Traube was subsequently diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, traumatic intracranial bleeding, and a basilar skull fracture by medical professionals.
Joshua Harp, Traube’s counsel, stated that the excessive use of force by police is “too common.”
