A Texas man who was reportedly severely beaten by three police officers in San Antonio last May is now paralyzed following surgery to repair his spine, KENS 5 reports.
Roger Carlos, 43, was left paralyzed following complications from his Nov. 3 surgery. He had undergone multiple surgeries on his neck and upper spine to help relieve pain from herniated discs after being beaten by law-enforcement officers.
Back in May 2014, three officers were reportedly pursuing a suspect who was wanted on drug and weapons charges when they spotted Carlos, who was taking pictures of his wife's medical practice on his phone.
The cops beat Carlos, hitting him some 50 times, according to reports, even though he did not fight back. Carlos, who had no criminal record, suffered a swollen skull, a brain aneurysm, neck injuries, a broken tooth and a gash above his eye from the beating.
Two of the officers—one a member of the San Antonio Police Department SWAT team and the other a drug-task-force officer—have been identified as Carlos Chavez and Virgilo Gonzalez. The third officer was never identified publicly, the site notes.
On Friday, Carlos underwent another surgery and has since started to lose the ability to move his wrists, and doctors are worried that he will have trouble breathing. Doctors told his wife, Ronnie Carlos, that he is paralyzed from the chest down.
"It's hard to see it, it's hard to believe that something like this occurred over a mistaken identity. That is the hardest thing that has happened to us," Ronnie Carlos told KENS 5. "People need to stand up and say something about it. Just because a police officer has a right to do something like that based on a law that protects them, it's not right; it's not right.
"It's physically disabled him. It's mentally disabled him. He still hasn't since that day been able to get over this incident," she said.
"Carelessness, just carelessness of these three officers, not realizing that they ruined his life," Ronnie Carlos added. The couple has three sons, all under the age of 10.
The family plans to file a lawsuit against the city and the Police Department and has hired an attorney.
The real suspect, Josue Rodriguez, was eventually captured and taken into custody on charges ranging from evading arrest to possession of a prohibited firearm. Rodriguez was later found guilty.
As for the officers, a police discipline board recommended a 15-day suspension for all three of them, but Police Chief William McManus shortened the suspensions to five days.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for Carlos' medical bills.
Read more at KENS 5.