A lawsuit has been filed against Redwood City and several of its police officers by a man who alleges police used excessive force against him during an altercation in his father's hospital room.
Victor Pacheco, the plaintiff, is being represented by attorneys from the law firm Burris Nisenbaum Curry and Lacy. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Pacheco claims that on July 31, 2023, multiple officers from the Redwood City Police Department assaulted him without cause or legal justification, after they were summoned to the hospital room by hospital staff after Pacheco allegedly got into a verbal argument with nurses over his father's treatment.
Pacheco claims he agreed to leave the room with officers, but when he attempted to kiss and hug his father goodbye, officers allegedly punched him in the face, threw him to the floor, handcuffed him, and violently slammed his head, allegedly causing a swollen cranium and a large scratch on the right side of his head.
Pacheco is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for what he believes were violations of his rights under both the U.S. Constitution and state law.