Attorneys comment on federal lawsuit filed over an arrest by Tulsa Police

Friday, January 27th 2006, 10:08 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Police officers face a federal lawsuit. As the News on 6 told you Thursday night, an 18-year-old man has filed a federal lawsuit against the Tulsa Police Department and several officers. The man says the officers used excessive force on him during an arrest last summer.

Police say Michael Hall had admitted to drinking 30 beers and already being in one fight earlier in the evening. They say when they were called, Hall was threatening to fight several people in a crowd of about 60 people, and one of them had a video camera and recorded the arrest. When an officer tried to arrest Hall, the video shows him throwing that officer over his back onto the ground. That's when other officers got Hall to the ground, his attorney says the excessive force takes place when one of the officers kicks Hall and another repeatedly punches Hall in the face.

Hallâ€™s attorney Keith Ward: "Mr. Hall, once he was face down on the ground and immobilized and was no threat, no further force was necessary."

Tulsa Police officerâ€™s attorney Scott Wood: "You are no longer a threat when you're in handcuffs and after he was in handcuffs, there was no further use of force at all."

The Tulsa Police Department has ruled all officers acted within the use of force policy.