Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Story of Laquan Wright: "Teen Explains Alleged Police Brutality"

H.S. Football Player's Jaw Wired Shut After Incident
http://www.wpbf.com/news/17163157/detail.html

POSTED: 7:32 pm EDT August 11, 2008

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- A high school football player has accused a Riviera Beach police officer of mistaking him for a suspect and slamming him to the ground.

Laquan Wright's dreams of playing high school football this year remain doubtful. The teenager is a junior at Palm Beach Gardens High School, where he was supposed to play as a starter on the football team in his junior year.

WPBF News 25's Ted White reported that the 16-year-old described in a complaint to the Riviera Beach Police Department what happened on the night of Aug. 2 as he headed to his grandfather's home on Congress Avenue.

Wright said he was walking down the street when a Riviera Beach police officer pulled up, turned on his flashing lights, got out of the car, picked him up and slammed him on the ground. Wright suffered a broken jaw which is now wired shut.

Wright's mother, Lakesha Wiggins, said she has taught her son to be respectful to police, saying she couldn't believe what happened next.

"He told the officer that he had ID in his pocket. He went in his pocket got his ID looked at and (the officer) just pretty much said, 'OK we got the wrong person' and left him on the ground, got in his patrol car with the lights off and just pulled off," Wiggins said.

Wright was treated at Columbia Hospital. The family filed a complaint the next day at the Riviera Beach Police Department. The family's attorney called the incident a clear case of police brutality.

The family's attorney said he is reaching out to the state attorney's office to investigate. The attorney said he has another client who was the victim of a similar incident in the city in January.

A city representative issued a statement Monday afternoon that, in part, states, "The Riviera Beach Police Department investigates allegations made against any of its members. The investigative process is thorough and has worked well."

The representative said the city cannot comment on open internal affairs investigations.

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