By Amanda Spence
ATLANTA — A man has been awarded $100 million from a jury after he was tased in 2018 by an Atlanta police officer during a foot pursuit.
Jerry Blasingame, 65, who fell and hit his head on concreate following the incident, is now paralyzed from the neck down and needs care around the clock, according to 11 Alive. Ven Johnson, Blasingame’s attorney, said Officer Jon Grubbs struck Blasingame, who was panhandling at the time, in the back with the TASER about 10 feet away. In body camera video, Blasingame can be seen lying unconscious.
“Jerry then fell again, face forward, face planted in smashing his head, multiple facial fractures, brain injury and broke his neck,” Johnson said.
The jury ruled that the city and the officer are guilty of violating the victim’s civil rights and that Officer Grubbs used an unreasonable amount of force, according to the report. Blasingame was awarded $40 million from the officer and $60 million from the department.
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