Family of man left paralyzed while in St. Pete police custody files lawsuit

TAMPA, Fla. — A federal civil rights complaint was filed Monday against the city of St. Petersburg and two St. Pete police officers, for what one victim’s family says was an unlawful arrest and in their words, brutality.

The incident happened back in June of last year, and relatives of Heriberto Sanchez-Mayen say it left him with a severe cervical spinal injury that required both his legs to be amputated. 

Now his sister is speaking out along with her attorneys.

“It was very bad to see my brother like this,” Elsa Hernandez said.

Through tears, Hernandez details the moment she saw her brother in the hospital after what she says was brutal treatment from St. Petersburg police officers.

Now, she says, “He is unable to work and unable to take care of himself. I would like to see justice done and hope no one ever has to go through the pain my brother has been put through.”

Video provided by St. Petersburg police shows what unfolded June 8 when the police were called about someone trespassing on property.

The video shows Mayen being taken into custody and put in a police transport van.

At one point, Mayen can be seen without any restraints or a seatbelt, falling over and hitting his head after an abrupt stop.

Once the van stopped, you see one of the officers trying to wake Mayen, who is unconscious, before seeing an officer drag him out of the van by his ankles. The officers then tried to provide further assistance and performed CPR outside of the vehicle.

The attorney on this case, Thomas Scolaro, said at the time of the arrest, Mayen was cooperative.

“What happened to Heriberto is cruel. Rather than simply give him a ticket, they belly chain this man so he couldn’t protect himself and move his hands or arms,” said Scolaro.

The St. Petersburg Police Department responded to this incident, saying, “They deny the claims and trust in the judicial process.”

Elsa said this incident has changed not only her brother’s life but her whole family’s life. “In less than five days, he has two big surgeries. One for the spinal cord and the other one for the amputation, for his legs.”

Now, she says her brother is in a rehabilitation center.

Mayen does have several prior arrests for trespassing and open containers, according to officials. His attorneys say they’re waiting on a court date and will look into police department processes of handling cases like this.