PALM BAY, Fla. – A Florida man was left paralyzed after reportedly being tased multiple times while fleeing a Palm Bay police officer during an encounter in June.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has taken up the case, pressing for the dismissal of charges against Thomas Farley. He spoke alongside Attorney LaFonda Middleton, Attorney Natalie Jackson and Farley’s family, in a “call for accountability” from the Palm Bay Police Department and to push for charges against officer Mitchell.
The incident began when Farley and friends were accused of loitering outside a Circle K gas station. According to Farley’s family, he broke his neck after falling from a fence when tased six times by Palm Bay police Officer Derrick Mitchell. Body camera footage captured Farley telling officers, “I broke my neck, sir,” followed by, “I can’t feel my lower body.”
Farley’s mother, Pam, shared her anguish, saying her son, now 32, cannot walk or feed himself. …