ST. LOUIS (AP) - An incoming St. Louis lawmaker is suing police for allegedly beating him while handcuffed during a 2014 protest.
Nonprofit law group ArchCity Defenders announced the federal civil rights lawsuit Friday on behalf of incoming House member Democrat Bruce Franks.
The lawsuit claims local and St. Louis County police used excessive force and assaulted Franks during a protest in the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley in 2014.
A Berkeley police captain didn't immediately respond Friday to requests for comment. The St. Louis County counselor said he hasn't yet seen the lawsuit.
Franks said he was trying to calm tensions during a protest over the shooting of black 18-year-old Antonio Martin by a Berkeley police officer.
Franks was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, but charges were later dropped.