An Omaha man alleges police brutality, saying several Council Bluffs officers used excessive force in apprehending him following a traffic stop earlier this month.
“They broke my whole face open, there was no fight in me," says Matt Petersen. "I understand taking me to the ground and cuff me, but there’s no reason to beat me up. I didn’t try to fight or hurt anybody.”
Petersen’s attorney, James Martin Davis, has filed an excessive force complaint against Council Bluffs Police. “They can’t deliver their own brand of street justice by excessively using force and beating up somebody,” says Davis.
Petersen was stopped by a Bluffs officer late at night three weeks ago. "I did get out and run and I did have a driver's (license) suspension which I shouldn't have done."
Petersen claims after the first officer tackled and cuffed him, backup officers stepped on his head and one hit him in the eye with a blunt object.
"They hit me with a flashlight, something, hit me in my eye right here and that's what did all the damage."
Council Bluffs Police Chief Ralph O’Donnell says an internal affairs investigation is underway into the excessive force allegation. "We have a complete set of reports and the DVD camera from the cruiser has been placed into property as per general orders."
Chief O’Donnell says Petersen has some possible charges of his own to answer to resulting from his actions, including eluding arrest, driving under suspension and resisting arrest. A drunken driving charge is possible pending lab results.
Chief O'Donnell couldn’t say how long the internal affairs investigation would take. Davis plans to file a claim with the city of Council Bluffs for Petersen’s medical bills which he estimates could reach $100,000.
Petersen says he’s spent a total of eight days in an Omaha hospital, undergoing surgery to repair cheekbones and install a metal plate to support his left eye.
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