Man sues,
says masked cops
attacked him

By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

A man alleges that unidentified, masked Honolulu police officers used excessive force by pulling him out of his wheelchair and throwing him to the ground and against a house last year in Waipahu.

The allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed yesterday by Joel Santiago against the city.

A Police Department spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on the lawsuit because the department does not comment on pending litigation.

Santiago was visiting friends at their Kahuanani Street home and sitting in his wheelchair when masked officers rushed up behind him, grabbed him and pulled him out of the wheelchair, according to the lawsuit.

The unidentified officers threw Santiago to his knees and then to the ground face down, the lawsuit said.

Santiago's hands were bound before he was lifted and thrown against the wall of the house, it added.

Santiago said he sustained severe and permanent injuries as a result of the Dec. 29, 1997, incident.

The lawsuit says documents and witness interviews so far have not been able to establish the identities of the individuals.

The lawsuit also doesn't say how Santiago identifies the masked individuals as Honolulu police officers. But the suit alleges that the city failed to properly supervise the officers.

Santiago is asking for an unspecified amount of damages.