KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man and his 15-year-old daughter whose violent handling at the hands of Kansas City police has been widely viewed online are now suing several of the officers.
Tarence Maddox and his daughter were at a May 30 protest at the Country Club Plaza to protest police brutality in the wake of the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Kansas City Star reported.
Maddox yelled at police that they were using excessive force when a line of officers descended on them, the lawsuit says, dousing Maddox and his daughter with pepper spray and pulling Maddox into the street to arrest him. One of the officers pulled Maddox's daughter toward him and sprayed her directly in the eyes from about 4 inches away, the lawsuit says. She had "in no way" hindered his ability to make an arrest, said Maddox's attorney, Tom Porto.
The incident was captured on video, which has been viewed more than 8.6 million times on Twitter.
The lawsuit accuses the officers of deliberately harming Maddox and his daughter, despite the pair posing no threat to the officers, Porto said. Maddox also suffered permanent injury to his knee during the arrest that required surgery, the attorney said.
Police at the time said they would review the officers' actions, but did not immediately respond to the newspaper's request Tuesday for comment on the lawsuit.