SHSU student accuses campus police of assault, files lawsuit

HOUSTON - A Sam Houston State University student alleges officers with his school's police department assaulted him and has filed a lawsuit. 

Court papers filed Oct. 1 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas assert Aman Abdulaziz did nothing to draw the attention of SHSU Police let alone provoke the purported attack.

SHSU and the city of Huntsville are also targets of the suit.

Abdulaziz explains that his ordeal began when he called a tow service to help him get the keys out of his vehicle.

After about a 45-minute wait, Abdulaziz met the tow truck drivers, who he saw talking to a policeman.

The suit shows the policeman issued the plaintiff a ticket for lack of a parking permit prior to the keys being retrieved.

Upon receiving his keys, the plaintiff states he drove toward another dormitory where another police officer met him and "sternly" asked to search his car on the grounds he "was illegally parked."

Abdulaziz says he was about to empty his pockets as ordered by the officer in an effort to find his driver's license and insurance verification card when the officer "jumped on me and did a leg hook maneuver to bring me down," according to the plaintiff's lawsuit.

He alleges "more officers tackled me on the ground" while the officer who gave him a citation earlier choked and kicked him in the face.

According to the original petition, Abdulaziz was suffering "major" blood loss and felt he "was going to die or pass out" during the subject event.

Abdulaziz claims he asked why he was being attacked and the officer who kicked him in the face said it was because he had punched a patrolman. Abdulaziz said that was a fabricated charge that he was found innocent of later.

Court documents further state the university's police left the plaintiff lying on the ground, took photos of him and completely cleaned the blood off his chest and face prior to transporting him to the Walker County Jail where authorities charged him with four crimes.

The suit insists Abdulaziz suffered "physical, psychological, financial, educational and emotional" damage and that he "was charged with assaulting a police officer to validate and cover up the gang assault and excessive force that I was held subject to by these corrupt policemen."

Consequently, the complainant requests an investigation of the law enforcement officials he insinuates committed police brutality against him.

Abdulaziz is representing himself.

Case No. 4:12-cv-2925