Mar. 12–A 32-year-old Carrollton car dealer is suing the city of Carrollton in federal court for civil rights violations, saying that a police officer used excessive force against him a year ago as he tried to deliver a car. Also named in the lawsuit is David Tatom, a Carrollton police officer. Shomari Staten finally obtained the police car dashcam video of the incident after a Dallas County judge ordered that Carrollton release the video. Staten had requested the video under the state’s open records act, but Carrollton refused to turn it over. In the video, a white officer towers over Staten, who is black, and pulls him down to the ground as he slams him into another parked vehicle. Carrollton spokeswoman Sheri Chadwick said, “The City of Carrollton cannot comment on any issue once there is pending litigation.” Staten’s attorneys say their client was racially profiled by Carrollton police when they spotted him in a shopping center on an afternoon after he changed the license plates, as required by law, on a blue 1997 Geo Prizm. Staten was waiting to deliver the car to a client who was getting a cashier’s check at a nearby bank. Tatom and a black officer moved in to question Staten and his employee, who is black, about “stealing license plates,” according to the suit. Staten filed a complaint and an open records request to get the video of the incident. Three weeks later, when Staten went to check on the open records request, he was taken to a room and asked if he really … Video Rating: 4 / 5
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