Incident Beating-of-Jamar-Gladden

Date	Jul 29, 2015
Time	12:00 PM
Report #	Beating-of-Jamar-Gladden
Department	Charlottesville Police
Officers	Todd A. Lucas , Robbie Oberholzer
Address	Charlottesville, VA

Incident Description

On Nov. 7, 2016, Jamar Antwaun Gladden filed a complaint under the Civil Rights Act against Charlottesville Police officers R.A. Oberholzer, J. Seitz, and T.A. Lucas (also naming the JADE Task Force) for attacking, brutalizing, and nearly asphyxiating him on July 29, 2015.

Gladden's complaint alleges excessive force, unreasonable aggression, the use of a chokehold, unlawful seizure, and violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.

Gladden describes the incident in his own words (from "Gladden v. Charlottesville Va. Police Dept"):

"Officer Oberholzer put me in a chokehold with his arm around my neck/throat, never reaching for my hands or arms making a[n] attempt to arrest or detain me. Just a[n] immediate instinct reaction to put his arm around my throat and to throw his body weight against me and we immediately went crashing to the ground (his stomach to my back).

Officer Oberholzer layed on top of me while still continuing to squeeze his arm tighter around my throat, in which at this time it was extremely hard for me to breathe.

"I was beginning to lose consciousness when a number of 'Jon Doe' detectives of JADE Task Force also appeared on the scene and begun to physically and maliciously plant knees and feet on my body while still on my stomach with Officer Oberholzer's arm around my throat. Along with said 'John Doe' detectives of JADE Task Force, Detectives McCall, Seitz, and Lucas begun to become overly aggressive when 'John Doe Detective' of JADE Task Force started to holler 'Knife, knife[!]' Again, I was on my stomach. [I] believed I blacked out slightly at some point[] so I wasn't able to see the above named JADE Task Force members or the John Doe Detectives' faces at the time when a foot, knee or whatever force that came down on the back of my head to make my face make contact with the ground...

"Before being sat up, Officer Oberholzer kicked me after I was already being handled by JADE Task Force Detectives John Does and cuffed... At no time did I offer a reason for this inhumane attack on me..."

Links

"Gladden v. Charlottesville Va. Police Dept, Civil Action No. 7:16-cv-00519"
"I was with my 3 children when . . . [Officer Oberholzer] asked me to step out of my vehicle. I stepped out[,] went to [the] back of [the] car as instructed [and] was immediately grabbed from behind in a choke hold, t[a]ken to the ground[,] and could not breath[e]..." - Western District Court of Virginia, Roanoke Division (CaseText)
"City police officer accused of using excessive force in arrest"
"Jamar Antwuan Gladden has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Charlottesville Police Department, three police officers and the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force... All but one of those defendants has been dropped from the case. Gladden alleges that he was with his three children when police pulled him over, asked him to step out of the car and aggressively brought him to the ground, despite his compliance. Gladden alleges he suffered a chipped front tooth, three stitches in the right eye and a dislocated shoulder. He seeks a public apology and $2.5 million." - Daily Progress