The lawsuit claims that Huntsville police in civilian clothes violently threw Nancy Smith’s 17-year-old son to the ground. He was handcuffed and pepper sprayed. While lying motionless on the ground, the officers allegedly shoved their knees into his back making it difficult for him to breathe. The officers later shoved a “sharp instrument” into his throat while he was choking and also broke his ribs.

As the lawsuit argues, the actions of police were “so extreme and outrageous in nature as to shock the conscience of the community.” They were “willful, malicious and intentional as to inflict terror and trauma upon a Huntsville citizen.”