TEMPE, AZ — A Valley man who just settled an excessive force claim with Phoenix police is now suing Tempe claiming officers there also violated his civil rights.
Tempe police body-worn camera video showed Dravon Ames being arrested after a report of a car crash on Halloween 2018.
In a lawsuit filed Friday, Ames said Tempe police used excessive force by intentionally brutalizing, beating, and using a Taser on him. Tempe police say Ames assaulted them, and criminal charges are pending.
Ames filed the Tempe lawsuit just two months after Phoenix approved a nearly $500,000 settlement for his family after a May 2019 traffic stop was recorded by a witness. The video showed police holding Ames' small children and fiancée at gunpoint while cursing and threatening them. An officer also kicked Ames's legs while he was handcuffed and apparently complying.
Phoenix police said they stopped Ames and his family after a report they shoplifted a doll from a Family Dollar store. No one was arrested in the case. One of the officers involved was fired.
