UPDATE:
Ellijay Police Chief Edward Lacey responded Thursday to the Times Free Press’ request for comment. In an email, he wrote that Officer Trevor McClure and other members of the department receive “well documented training.” He also said that officers administered aid to the alleged victim, Terry Cantrell, at the scene of his injury – rebutting claims by Cantrell’s attorneys.
“We believe his level of intoxication exasperated this situation,” Lacey wrote. “He was never struck, hit, kicked, or otherwise beaten before, during, or after his arrest. When the officer pursuing him on foot took him to the ground, Mr. Cantrell’s head made unintentional contact with the paved roadway.”
PREVIOUSLY:
At the end of a chase, after a police officer tackled him to the ground, a North Georgia man says he slipped into a coma for 12 days. And ever since, his memory has been weak.
The alleged victim, 45-year-old Terry Christopher Cantrell, filed a lawsuit against the city, Officer Trevor McClure and Police Chief Edward Lacey in Gilmer County Superior Court on Monday. His attorneys say he is the victim of excessive force, poor law enforcement training, battery and negligence. They say the city should pay his $350,000 medical bill – plus damages.