SAN FRANCISCO—Dracari Spiers, 31, announced with his attorneys on Monday, February 24, that he would be filing a federal lawsuit against the city of San Francisco following an altercation that occurred in 2019 with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).
On October 6, 2019, Spiers had been at Fisherman’s Wharf with his girlfriend. As they leaned against a car, Dracari embraced his girlfriend hoping to console her over a lost wallet.
That is when Spiers indicated that officers from the SFPD grabbed him from behind and began beating him with their batons “mercilessly.” Spiers had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for a severely broken leg and wrist along with a large laceration on his leg following the incident.
The suit filed “includes claims of unconstitutional excessive force, assault, emotional distress, negligence and inadequate training and supervision of police by the city.” There are additional requests for an unspecified amount of financial compensations and a punitive damages award.
Additional claims in the lawsuit indicate that officers attempted to fabricate a story about domestic violence between Spiers and his girlfriend; along with falsely obtaining an emergency protective order that prevented his girlfriend from visiting Spiers in the hospital as he recovered.
Bodycam footage of the incident has not been released to the public. John Cote, a spokesperson for the San Francisco City Attorney’s office, says “this matter is still under investigation,” as he reviews the lawsuit— and that allegations will be addressed in court.
