Tasered Suspect Claims Police Brutality

[The Watchmen]

CORPUS CHRISTI - A Navy Corpsman was arrested and tasered for fleeing from police, and now the Corpusman is claiming he was the victim of excessive force and brutality.

A Navy Corpsman had been rushing home to get his fiance her emergency asthma medicines when police tried to pull him over. Police said he violated some traffic laws and refused to pull over.

However, the couple said the department owes them an apology and they have hired a lawyer.

"Her breathing became worse and I panicked," Nicholas Lowry, 26, said.

Lowry's fiance began having an asthma attack and he rushed to get her home Saturday night.

The police report indicated the officer started following the couple as soon as they sped right through the intersection of Baldwin and Ayers.

Lowry drove several blocks before stopping in his own driveway.

"I parked the car, turned the vehicle off, leaned over the window and I tried to tell the officer 'I'm sorry this is a medical emergency'," Lowry said.

However, before he could explain, Lowry said he was tasered, while sitting in his truck. He fell to the ground and was tasered again.

Lowry said things only escalated when Officer W. Hobbs criticized Lowry's service as a Navy Corpsman.

"Then, we walked in[to the jail] and he slammed me into a concrete wall. While taking me in, he laughed in my ear and said I'm gonna throw you in the cell with all the f-----, so they can rape you," Lowry said, of what Hobb's allegedly said.

Lowry's fiance took pictures of how officers scattered his military honors about while searching their truck.

Police said Lowry was already in the process of being cuffed when he tried to elbow the officer and a taser was authorized.

They also added that the bottom line was that it is a felony if a driver doesn't pull over for a cop.

"If this gentleman had pulled over, like he's required to do under the law, an ambulance could have been summoned or the officer could have escorted them to the hospital," CCPD Captain Todd Green said.

However, Lowry and his fiance said the behavior from the police was unacceptable .

"I think they should train their people. I felt like a criminal and we didn't do anything wrong," Nicki Redding, Lowry's fiance, said.

"It would be nice for someone to tell the truth and apologize," Lowry stated. "As far as the incident, I've forgiven the officer, I just want these kind of things to stop."

Police said the couple can file a complaint through their Internal Affairs Division and the arresting officer would be investigated.

Also, it's hard to validate that kind of situation because police said there was no dash cam video or recordings of the incident.

The couple is now talking with their lawyer and deciding what legal action they might pursue.

MSNBC