by Heather Graf
HUMPHREYS COUNTY, Tenn. – A lawsuit has been filed in connection with the brutal beating of a man that was caught on dashcam video in Humphreys County.
The federal lawsuit was filed Friday morning on behalf of Darrin Ring, who claims he was stripped, beaten and tasered last January.
During the altercation, deputies can be heard on tape, repeatedly yelling at Ring to "stop resisting."
The lawsuit names Humphreys County, the city of Waverly, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis, Humphreys County deputies James McCord and James Lee, as well as Waverly Police officers Joseph Parnell and Kinta Bell.
"The police have the right to restrain people when they arrest them, that's ok," said David Raybin, a Nashville attorney who is representing Darrin Ring. "But the constitution say you can only go so far."
The complaint filed by Raybin claims the officers used excessive force, and asks that Ring be awarded "substantial punitive damages" for emotional and physical pain, but did not specify an amount.
"The lawsuit alleges unconstitutionally excessive force, and I'm going to let a jury decide the level of it," said Raybin.
Ring was initially charged with aggravated assault on an officer and held in jail for five months. The charges were dropped after the District Attorney viewed the dashcam video. Ring suffered four broken ribs and a punctured lung.
The three deputies involved no longer work for the Humphreys County Sheriff's Department. Meanwhile, an FBI investigation is now underway, to determine whether they or anyone else, should face criminal charges.
News Channel 5 reached out to the defendants on Friday, for their reaction to the allegations against them. Sheriff Chris Davis told us he couldn't comment at this time, because of the pending litigation.
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