By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
The city of Salisbury settled a lawsuit filed against it and former Salisbury Police Officer Kareem Puranda with a man who says the officer used excessive force during a 2007 arrest.
Wayne Partee of Salisbury brought the suit in 2010, alleging that following a traffic stop Jan. 11, 2007, he suffered a broken collarbone after the officer body slammed him to the pavement.
The suit said Partee was pulled over by the officer for a seatbelt violation. The officer commanded Partee to get out of the vehicle and move to the back of the vehicle. Once at the back, the officer lifted the man over his head and slammed him headfirst into the pavement.
Partee’s attorney, Jake Sussman, of the firm Tin Fulton Walker & Owen in Charlotte, goes on to say the “entire incident was caught on Officer Puranda’s mobile video recorder attached to his patrol car.”
The case was resolved pre-trial after Partee accepted a settlement in late 2010. Partee asked for in excess of $10,000 per the four claims named in the suit, but the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.