Cops Get Off for Hanging Quadriplegic Man, City Pays

Cornell Greathouse was shot in the throat with a stray bullet from a gangster's gun in 1993 that left him paralyzed. He was dancing at the time. The injury made him a quadriplegic and confined him to a wheelchair.

In January of 2005 while he was being arrested by four Pasadena police officers, he was removed from his chair and hung across a concrete wall so he could be searched. Because the quadriplegic are so dangerous.

That move sent Greathouse to the hospital for nearly a week and the cops were sued. Sending a mixed signal on Wednesday, an LA jury cleared the officers but ruled that the city should pay Greathouse $80,000.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated a day before determining Wednesday that the city violated Cornell Greathouse's civil rights.

"I believe they wanted to sort of let the officers go, but at the same time make sure this sort of thing didn't happen again — sort of whitewash over the officers and stick it to the city," Greathouse lawyer Frank Longo said. - AP

Greathouse was being charged with public drunkenness when he was removed from his chair. That charge was eventually dismissed.

photo by antosousa via flickr