A Westfield man is suing eight police officers in federal court, alleging brutality and arguing in his lawsuit that police roughed him up and broke his ankle during a 2008 arrest in the city's club quarter.
Guy Larkins, 37, was arrested just before 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2008, as the bars let out on Worthington Street, according to a police report. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault and battery on a police officer following a dispute with a woman in a bar, police said.
Larkins' lawsuit states that once he had surrendered to police, "he was violently taken to the ground."
"One officer stepped on his right foot, while another officer tackled him from behind, intentionally breaking his ankle," states the complaint, filed Jan. 3 in U.S. District Court.
It further argues police made him hop through a metal detector and stand on his broken ankle while yelling at him: "We're not doctors, we can't do nothing for you!" and "Jesus Christ, what a baby!"
Larkins sought medical attention, was diagnosed with a fractured ankle and underwent surgery two days after the arrest, according to the complaint.
Officers named in the lawsuit are: patrolmen Richard Ward, Felix Aguirre, Richard Jarvis, Edwin Torres, Matthew Longo; sergeants Julio M. Toledo and Richard Randolph; and Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.
Larkins was arrested by Toledo and Ward, and his pleas for medical help were generally ignored by the others, the lawsuit said. Randolph flatly refused him medical attention, it says, and Aguirre taunted him during the booking process.
The lawsuit states that in 2009 Randolph and Aguirre were suspended without pay for five days in connection with the incident and Ward and Toledo were subjected to mandatory retraining.
Police spokesman John M. Delaney would not comment on the disciplinary actions but said Larkins and two friends turned on police when they responded to the scene and were arrested after a "brief scuffle."
Delaney said Larkins broke his ankle when he slipped and fell from a slippery curb surrounded by wet leaves.
Larkins was acquitted of the assault and battery charge at trial in Springfield District Court on April 7, 2010, according to his lawyer, Perman Glenn III.