A deaf man claims he was attacked by cops and arrested after he couldn’t comprehend their commands.
In September 2019, Brady Mistic was sentenced to four months in jail for second-degree assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. Now, the deaf man is on his way to receive justice, as he is suing officers Nicholas Hanning and Ellie Summers, the city of Idaho Springs, and the Clear Creek County Board of Commissioners.
Now, he’s rightfully filed a lawsuit against the city & the two officers involved for discrimination against a person with a disability & not properly accommodating his disability in jail! Mistic deserves JUSTICE for the physical & emotional harm he endured!
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 29, 2021
On September 17, 2019, at around 7:30 pm, two police officers followed Mistic’s car after he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign, as reported by Unilad. The man was not aware he was followed by cops, so he continued driving, reaching a laundromat. Brady then walked out of his vehicle and calmly walked towards the building.
As per NBC, the lawsuit says:
“As Mr. Mistic exited his car and walked past a dumpster in between his vehicle and the police vehicle, toward the laundry door, he was blinded by police vehicle lights and/or a spotlight shone by the officers.”
“He had no idea what was happening, what the police were doing, or if the officers’ presence had anything to do with him.”
At the time of the confrontation, Mistic tried to use sign language to communicate with the cops. However, officer Hanning threw him to the ground without “warning or attempt to communicate,” according to the lawsuit, which states:
“Defendant Hanning pinned Mr. Mistic to the ground on his back while Mr. Mistic held his hands out with his palms facing defendant Hanning in an attempt to show that he meant no harm and was doing nothing to threaten the officer. On the ground, defendant Summers joined in, grabbing Mr. Mistic… defendant Summers pulled out her Taser and drive stunned Mr. Mistic.”
Brady Mistic of Idaho Springs, who uses sign language to communicate, could not understand the officers' verbal commands, according to his federal lawsuit.https://t.co/ujFAhI2Gib
— Bruce Sheridan (@BruceSheridan12) September 29, 2021
In response to the accusations, the Idaho Springs Police Department has defended the officers, saying:
“The officers gave verbal commands for Mr. Mistic to get back in his vehicle. It was later determined Mr. Mistic was deaf, but this fact was not known to the officers during the initial encounter.
Officers then directed Mr. Mistic to sit down. At one point officers attempted to gain control of Mr. Mistic by placing him into handcuffs due to his unexplained actions. Mr. Mistic resisted the officers, and a physical altercation took place.”
