Michael Clark, the 76-year old who sued Idaho Springs Colorado and three of the city’s police officers after one of them fired a Taser at him without warning and placed a knee on the back of his neck while he lay unconscious, settled his lawsuit for $7 million, his attorney announced Wednesday.
The settlement is the largest in Colorado history for a civil rights case that did not involve a wrongful death, Clark’s attorney Sarah Schielke said. Clark suffered medical complications after being shocked with the Taser that made him unable to live independently, Schielke said at a news conference.
He lived an active and independent life before the 2021 assault but now can no longer cook and uses a wheelchair.
Based on what we know, on May 30, 2021, Hanning and Summers knocked on Clark’s door without announcing themselves after a neighbor reported he had punched her in the face over a noise complaint. Clark, then 75, answered the door holding a sawtooth sword but put it away after speaking with the officers.
Hanning fired the Taser at Clark without warning, body camera footage shows, and later placed his knee on the back of Clark’s neck while handcuffing the unconscious man. Clark suffered heart complications because of the incident, according to the lawsuit, including blood clotting and a stroke.
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