According to court documents, they followed Ingram to a nearby store. When he exited the store, he was shoved by Gennetta and Marchiafava. Ingram ran and was chased by the officers who apprehended him and he surrendered inside a parking lot. According to a lawsuit filed by Ingram, officers “immediately jumped,” handcuffed, and “viciously” struck him while he was face down on the street.
The lawsuit then states that officers stomped on Ingram’s neck and back. Ingram said he heard his neck break and couldn’t feel his arms and legs. According to the complaint, Ingram suffered injuries to his cervical spine, including fractures, a dislocated disc, disc protrusion, cord contusion, and spinal cord compression.
Ingram filed a lawsuit in which his lawyers stated that the officers used “unjustified, unnecessary and excessive force.” He sued the county, the police department, the former police chief, former assistant chief, and three officers involved in his 2014 arrest. New Jersey County recently settled the lawsuit by paying Ingram $10 million dollars.
Attorneys for Xavier Ingram announce a $10 million settlement after they say Camden Co. police officers broke Ingram’s neck while arresting him in 2014, causing paralysis. His attorneys believe this is the largest police brutality settlement in NJ history. @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/6GPSxPDChA
— Brandon Goldner (@GoldnerTV) May 10, 2022
Despite the payment, none of the alleged responsible parties have admitted guilt. The officers were not charged with any crime and lawyers for the county said the settlement was a business decision by the county’s insurance company. Camden County spokesperson Dan Keashen told Bloomberg Law that the three officers saw Ingram duck between two cars where a stolen handgun was found.
He “slipped and fell without being touched while running from officers” and was caught with heroin, Keashen said in the interview.
Even though the charges of a stolen gun and possession of drugs against Ingram, 29 were dropped, the county is sticking to its story. “Based on the settlement the county maintains, and continues to maintain, that no wrongdoing took place, and is not liable for any of the actions and circumstances of the aforementioned incident,” Keashen said.
Next time it’s slippery outside, make sure you don’t fall and get paralyzed from the neck down. For more details on this story click here.