MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida man was left paralyzed after he was hit with a police stun gun, and the entire ordeal was caught on camera.
Jesus Goratereaux’s family is claiming police brutality, but the officers say the video shows he was running from police.
He is now paralyzed from the chest down.
“My head hit the curb, they picked me up and acted like I was conscious. I was not conscious,” Goratereaux said.
It was that hit that caused his spine to crack and break in two.
Goratereaux said this was a case of wrong place, wrong time, involving Miami-Dade police officers on Jan. 3 at 15th Avenue and 88th Street in southwest Miami-Dade.
He was using a friend’s cellphone when officers pulled up.
“They said, ‘hey you, come here, come here.’ I said ‘I have nothing to do with what’s going on. I’m literally just walking by, I’m going to see some friends,’” Goratereaux recalled.
That’s when he said officers unlawfully searched him and claimed it was because of his traffic violations.
According to the arrest report provided by Miami-Dade police, Goratereaux, “had an open arrest warrant for driving while license suspended,” which triggered the arrest.
Slowing down the video, Goratereaux can be seen running from officers. They used their Tasers and he falls to the ground, his head slamming into the concrete curb.
Goratereaux was in the ICU at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital for two months.
Miami-Dade police told Local 10 in a statement:
“The Miami-Dade Police Department is aware of the incident involving Jesus Goratereaux. Our Professional Compliance Bureau responded to the scene on the night of the incident to ensure compliance with all department guidelines and procedures, and it was determined that there were no violations. It saddens us to learn of the injuries he sustained during this incident.”