Federal lawsuit filed after suspect run over by Radcliff Police officer

RADCLIFF, Ky. (WAVE) - A Radcliff Police Department office is accused of using unreasonable and potentially deadly force in the arrest of man suspected of trespassing.

Radcliff PD body cameras captured officers apprehending Anthony Gray in September. Gray can be seen on the ground, yelling in pain and begging officers to take him to the hospital. On camera, an officer confirms that the car ran over Gray’s leg.

Police were responding to a report of a man refusing to leave a nearby hotel. Officers can be seen on video confronting Gray, who is seen leaving the property.

“They had a very civil, peaceful conversation in which Anthony explained that people inside the hotel had been rude to him and he had decided to leave,” civil rights attorney Aaron Bentley said. “The officer confirmed that he had left the property which he had, so he was no longer trespassing.”

During the conversation, an officer attempted to grab Gray, and he managed to escape. One officer ran after him, while another chased Gray in the police car.

According to a civil rights lawsuit filed in federal court, the officer “intentionally turned his steering wheel” and hit Gray. According to the suit, the action was an “intentional use of a lethal weapon,” and an officer on the scene said he “heard Gray’s lower left leg crunch.”

The suit focuses on a central question.

“Do the police officers use reasonable force in arresting someone? This was not reasonable, not a reasonable use of force,” Bentley said. “Anthony was not a threat to anyone, he was suspected only of having a violation… So there were other ways to ensure that Anthony faced consequences for the alleged trespassing that didn’t involve violence that could’ve killed him.”

Radcliff Police, in accordance with department policy, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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