Lawsuit Alleges California Officers Removed Bullets By Hand From Teen They Shot In The Back

A federal lawsuit was filed on Monday alleging that Hayward Police Officers removed the bullets by hand from a 17-year-old boy they shot in the back.

According to Mercury News, the lawsuit is also disputing that the teenager posed a threat to the police as he drove away, resulting in the officers firing on the teen. The suit claims the officers removed the bullets from the teen’s back and dropped him off at a juvenile facility.

“It’s barbaric, the way in which they tried to minimize the harm they caused this young man,” the lawyer for the teen’s family, Adante Pointer, told the outlet. “It’s completely inappropriate, and fortunately, it didn’t cause more severe damage to him.”

The lawsuit alleges the teen awoke alone in his older cousin’s car near the scene of looting that took place during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 1. As he was driving past the officers, Officer Samuel Tomlinson believed he would be run over and fired on the vehicle. His partner, Officer Stephen Acaksos, also fired on the car, believing Tomlinson’s life to be in danger. 

The teen crashed the car, fled, and hid in the bushes before being charged with suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer, which were later dropped.

“I feel like all they saw was a black face and just believed he did (a crime),” Jael Barnes, the teen’s mother, said. “Not only does he now have these physical wounds, he has these mental wounds, as well, which will never go away.”

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— Adante Pointer, Esq. (@AdanteEsq) December 25, 2020