A Texas cop who attacked a white homeless man while responding to a call about a black female burglar was sued for excessive force last week.
The [__lawsuit__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Excessive-Force-Lawsuit-Against-Austin-Police-Sgt-Gregory-White.pdf) alleges that on February 20, 2015, Austin Police Sergeant Gregory White struck the homeless man without provocation, which can be confirmed in the video below.
White says he only cold-cocked 25-year-old Justin Scott and beat him down on the ground because Scott was going to run, although the video shows Scott never attempted to run.
But he did ask the cop why he was ordering him to put his hands behind his back.
It was after Scott asked, “why?”, several times when White unexpectedly attacks him.
Apparently upset about having his authority questioned, White slugs Scott in the back of the head without warning, forcefully takes him to the ground and proceeds to beat him even more, wailing violently and proceeding to repeatedly punch, elbow, taser and knee him.
During the struggle, White tasers Scott.
After being tasered, Scott wrestles the taser from the angry cop bullying him.
Shortly after, back up arrives, and White regains control of the taser.
*Justin Scott’s Injuries Can Be Seen In His Mugshot Photo Taken After He Was Attacked By Austin Cop Sgt. Gregory White Who Charged Scott With A Crime After Attacking And Beating The Man For Asking Why He Had To Put His Arms Behind His Back.*
Scott spent 176 days in jail after White blamed the incident on him, charging him with [__taking or attempting to take a weapon from a police officer__](http://codes.findlaw.com/tx/penal-code/penal-sect-38-14.html).
A half-year passed before Travis County prosecutors finally dropped all criminal charges against Scott.
Sergeant White claims he had detained Scott because he “thought he saw him talking to somebody” in the area of the burglary, according to the [__Austin American Statesman__](http://www.mystatesman.com/news/crime–law/scuffle-with-man-austin-officer-leads-lawsuit-against-city/4at6KOx9ZRJOxEnIr6BhvN/).
Scott’s attorney, however, says his client did nothing wrong and the attack on his client was unwarranted and undeserved.
“This was an attack on a homeless citizen — an American citizen,” Scott’s attorney, Scott Vasquez told the [__Statesman.__](http://www.mystatesman.com/news/crime–law/scuffle-with-man-austin-officer-leads-lawsuit-against-city/4at6KOx9ZRJOxEnIr6BhvN/) “This was nothing that was deserved, and it came as a total surprise.”
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3237676/Excessive-Force-Lawsuit-Against-Austin-Police.pdf
