An attorney for a teen who in 2024 had his chin split open and broke his wrist while Phoenix police arrested him says the officers involved should be fired.
A new claim against the city from Sergio Nino III accuses officers of not following state law for handling child abuse allegations.
Excessive force allegations are in the formal notice of intent to sue. The Phoenix Police Department would not comment on pending litigation.
“Instead of investigating abuse, the police officers dismissed it. Instead of protecting a child, they assaulted him,” said Larry Wulkan, attorney representing the teen.
An incident report provided by Wulkan says the officers were at the house for a domestic violence call. The father, also named Sergio Nino, accused the teen of spitting on him, and the teen accused his father of tackling him.
Body camera video provided by Wulkan shows officers on a house call telling a father to hit his teenage son.
When police call the teen out of his room, he tells them about a physical confrontation with his father.
“Your dad should beat you. Other than sending you to the hospital, your dad should beat you. Anything in your room is gone,” an officer tells the teen.
The police demand the teen’s phone on behalf of his father. The teen takes the phone out to record them. An officer grabs it from over his shoulder. The teen reaches for the phone, and police put him in handcuffs.
Over and over, the teen yells about the restraint. At a hospital, the officers reportedly loosened the handcuffs after a request by a nurse.
The incident occurred months before federal civil rights investigators said Phoenix police escalate minor encounters with children with foul language and violence.
“This isn’t just about one teenager. It’s about a culture in the Phoenix Police Department that allows officers to act like this without any accountability,” Wulkan said.
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