Four years ago, a Black teen was headed to a birthday party when he encountered a group of Florida sheriff’s deputies who tased him so bad, he was left with serious, permanent injuries. Now, the sheriff’s office is due to pay him a settlement but how much money can really undo the damage they caused?
Only now did the public gain access to the resolution between the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and 17-year-old Timmie Lee Knox Jr. after he filed a lawsuit in connection to the events of May 7, 2021. The suit says he was on his way to his friend’s child’s birthday party at John Prince Park in Palm Beach County when he noticed he was being followed by an unmarked car.
His female friend was driving and another woman was in the passenger seat. In the backseat, Timmie sat with a young man and two minors, per the suit. The driver ended up pulling into a random driveway after growing “concerned” about the mystery vehicle behind them. The suit says she wasn’t speeding or driving crazy.
However, the group was met by deputy Dustin Sullivan who ordered everyone to get out of the vehicle. The suit says in fear, Knox fled the scene but while he was running, another deputy encountered him with his Taser drawn. The suit says Sullivan and other deputies chased the teen down before he eventually surrendered after climbing onto a rooftop of a home nearby.
Sullivan then “immediately” tased Knox as his back was turned and hands were raised, the suit says. The teen was under the shock of the taser for a full five seconds. Eventually, he lost his balance but then was tased again by Sullivan, the suit says. Knox then fell off the roof and into the home’s backyard.
As a result, Knox landed on his neck, severing his spinal cord and losing control of the rest of his body. Deputies surrounded him, threatening to body slam him if he didn’t get up despite him being physically unable to move. The suit says the deputies still grabbed the teen and slammed him into the ground, worsening his injuries.
In a supporting opinion filed with the lawsuit, an expert said the deputies violated their own policy of not using a taser on an “elevated subject,” per the Miami Herald. Thanks to their perceived department violations, Knox, now 22, was left paralyzed from the neck down.
Back in July, the sheriff’s office agreed to settle the case with Knox for $5.5 million. We’re just now finding out about it after the Palm Beach Post was able to view the settlement via open records request. Knox isn’t the first one to get paralyzed and paid out by the police either.
After New Haven police failed to secure Randy Cox in the back of a police van, leading him to be thrown toward the wall of the vehicle after a hard stop, he was left paralyzed and received $45 million in settlement. Jajuan Henderson won $3 million in settlement after being shot and paralyzed by Trenton, N.J. police. We can still consider this justice but no amount of money can undo the damage the cops caused.