A Colorado Springs resident has initiated a $100 million lawsuit against a police officer, alleging that a taser incident left him permanently paralyzed.
Jacob Root, 27, is suing Officer Robert Comstock over a 2022 event in which Root, according to police, collided with an unmarked police vehicle in a stolen car.
NEW: Man who tried running from police after stealing a car speaks out after filing a $100,000,000 lawsuit after he was left paralyzed from being tased.
27-year-old Jacob Root is now a quadriplegic after getting tased by Colorado Springs police officer Robert Comstock.
Root’s… pic.twitter.com/p0ZNVAQEWj
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 8, 2024
Bodycam footage captures the moment when Root was tased, causing him to fall off a curb and hit his head, resulting in a broken neck as he attempted to flee.
Root and his legal team argue that this fall during his arrest rendered him a quadriplegic.
“That officer made the decision for me to become a prisoner in my own body,” Root told KKTV. “I would have preferred prison over being in this chair. I was free, and now I’m confined.”
The federal lawsuit, filed in May, asserts that Root is now completely dependent on others for basic needs like eating.
Jacob Root,Colorado Springs police department: -Civil Action Investigation Committee has recommended that the City represent the above-named officer as required by the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act and the Peace Officer’s Liability Acthttps://t.co/CcAMHPwEXF
— 🚨OperationDungBeetles🚨 (@operdungbeetles) August 7, 2024
The Colorado Springs police department, however, maintains that two internal investigations cleared Officer Comstock of any misconduct. In a statement, the department expressed support for Comstock, describing him as a “valued employee in good standing.”
Police initially engaged with Root after placing a tracking device on a stolen car found at a Super 8 Motel, as reported by Fox 21. Officers tracked the vehicle to another location and attempted to block its path with a police cruiser, but Root managed to evade them, damaging the police vehicle in the process.
Rather than pursuing the car, officers tracked it to a gas station where Root exited and entered the convenience store. Upon seeing the officers as he exited, Root began to run.
Root’s attorneys contend that he was “running down an elevated slope covered in dirt and uneven rocks” that separated the gas station from the sidewalk on Airport Road. The lawsuit argues that Officer Comstock failed to follow police protocol by not warning Root before using the taser and by deploying it while Root was on unstable ground.
Major Points
- Jacob Root files a $100 million lawsuit against Officer Robert Comstock for a taser incident.
- Incident occurred in 2022, involving Root allegedly colliding with an unmarked police vehicle.
- Bodycam footage shows Root falling off a curb and breaking his neck after being tased.
- Root claims the fall left him quadriplegic, making him fully dependent on others.
- The police department supports Comstock, citing cleared internal investigations.
Charles William III – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News