[ACLU-NM] ACLU Sues Chaves County Sheriff's Deputies for Beating Two Youth

[Kimberly Lavender]

American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico

Media Relations Office

PO Box 80915

Albuquerque, NM 87198

Tel: 505-266-5915 

Fax: 505-266-5916

 
  <file:///C:/DOCUME~1/KLAVEN~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.jpg>



 


 NEWS


 

 

 


ACLU Sues Chaves County Sheriff's Deputies for Beating Two Youth


 

                  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, May 4, 2005


CONTACT: 
Peter Simonson, Executive Director, ACLU of New Mexico at 505-266-4622 or
(cell) 505-620-0775

 

SANTA FE - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico sued
Chaves County Sheriff's deputies yesterday for brutalizing two young men at
a home in Roswell two years ago.

 

Michael Gustamantes and Ramon Garcia allege that officers Barry Dixon, Danny
Moore, and Mike Wood shot them at close range with pepper ball rounds, beat
and choked them while they were lying on the ground and restrained by
handcuffs.

 

"This is an example of wanton abuse and willful disregard for the public's
safety," said ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson.  "Sheriff's deputies
essentially ambushed Miguel and Ramon.  They didn't announce themselves.
Miguel was shot twice in the back," said Simonson.

 

The youth claim that the assault was unprovoked following a verbal dispute
with a neighbor that had ended with a handshake to resolve the disagreement.
Officers followed the youth into a nearby house where they shot randomly
into a room full of people who had gathered for a graduation party.

 

The sheriff's department charged Garcia with resisting, evading or
obstructing an officer, but the charges eventually were dropped.

 

"The only motivation for those charges was to cover up and excuse the
injuries that the officers inflicted upon Ramon.  Ramon wasn't fleeing law
enforcement officers.  He was running to save himself," said Simonson.

 

The complaint filed on behalf of the young men by ACLU of New Mexico
Cooperating Attorneys Art Nieto and Michael Doyle seeks damages for
excessive and unnecessary force, false arrest and imprisonment, malicious
prosecution, assault and battery, and malicious abuse of process.

 

###

 

 
Kimberly Lavender
Public Education Coordinator
ACLU of New Mexico
PO Box 80915
Albuquerque, NM 87198
aclunmpr at comcast.net
go to our website at www.aclu-nm.org <http://www.aclu-nm.org/> 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /archives/aclu-nm/attachments/20050504/f1bb034f/attachment.htm