HOUSTON – A man detained at the Rosenberg City Jail last year claims that a police officer threw him headfirst into a wall in his cell.
Per court papers filed Oct. 27 against the City of Rosenberg in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas, Anthony Michael Cruz accuses Rosenberg police patrolman Wade Wehring of the act in question.
Wehring arrested Cruz following a two-vehicle accident along Highway 36 on Oct. 9, 2015. The officer allegedly mistreated the plaintiff, who asserts that he was handcuffed too tightly.
The lawsuit shows Wehring promised Cruz that he will loosen the handcuffs upon their arrival at the jail, but instead tightened them during the intake process. Cruz protested his treatment reportedly to no avail.
The complainant recounts that the officer escorted him to a cell, and once they entered, he was “intentionally and forcefully” pushed and thrown to a wall.
“Cruz’s head struck the brick cell wall with considerable force, and he was immediately rendered unconscious,” the original petition says.
“After Cruz’s head hit the wall, Officer Wehring said ‘relax dude’ to Cruz’s unconscious and motionless body.”
Cruz says that he received no assistance from other officers after the subject incident. The suit adds that Wehring told the jail’s medical personnel Cruz bumped his head as he tried to get the inmate under control.
Cruz’s condition purportedly rendered him unable to work for an extended period, which resulted in lost wages, medical expenses totaling more than $100,000, and eventual job loss.
Wehring is also a defendant in the case. A jury trial is requested.
Attorney Jerry A. Pusch of Houston is representing Cruz.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas Case No. 4:16-CV-3167