Police brutality alleged by Pineville residents in lawsuit

ALEXANDRIA – Two Pineville couples are suing the local police, two of its officers and the city for alleged battery and false arrest and imprisonment.

Fred Wilson, Susan Wilson, Janice Brittain and Donald Brittain filed suit against the Pineville City Police Department, the City of Pineville, John Hebert and Samantha Welch Belgard in the 9th Judicial District Court on Feb. 1.

The Wilsons and Brittains claim that they were at a local gas station when Fred allegedly found he had a large amount of money stolen from him and phoned the police who arrived to investigate. The plaintiffs claim that during the investigation Officer Hebert allegedly asked Fred repeatedly why he had such a large amount of money on him and when Fred asked why it mattered how much money on him Hebert stepped back and used his taser on the plaintiff.

Fred alleges that after the officer tasered him he asked him “does that make you feel like a man?” and Hebert again activated the taser device.

The Brittains assert that they witnessed the incident and asked Hebert why he was using force against against Fred given that he allegedly did not do anything to deserve the treatment and begged him to not shoot Fred with the taser again.

In response to the Brittains complaints Hebert allegedly told them to leave the premises, at which time the Brittains asked for Hebert and Officer Belgard’s contact information, which they said they were unable to provide.

However, Janice Brittain asserts that she and Susan Wilson both provided their contact information on a tablet provided by Belgard and that as Janice was handing the tablet back to the officer Belgard grabbed her and slammed her against a vehicle and handcuffed her.

http://louisianarecord.com/

My friends and family can all tell you a few stories about the way some Pineville Police treat the general public.  So I hate say it,  but  I am inclined to believe these people’s accounts of how this went down.

I would love to see and hear any video that might have been taken, or radio conversations of these events.

I may have to make a few posts about certain experiences with Pineville Police that I personally have had,  plus other innocent people just minding their own business who I know have had, as well as several anecdotes from people in my family who also were just minding their business have had.

I am all in support of having Police.  But the Police these days aren’t the Andy Griffith types.  Times have changed.

I will say this though about Officer Gates –  He is a nice Policeman but I don’t know whether he has just moved up, or patrols a different area,  I just don’t see him around this area any more.

He tried to get to know folks in the neighborhood who belonged and who didn’t – things like that –  I never saw him make a big stink over much of anything.  He would hand out his card and introduce himself to people.

Unfortunately Officer Gates can’t be everywhere at once.