Ramsey County has reached a settlement agreement with a man punched, kicked and nearly suffocated to death by an apparent sadistic jailer as others sat by and watched, holding him down in a restraint chair with a spit hood over his head.
“You aint seen excessive force yet,” Ramsey County sheriff’s correctional officer Travis VanDeWiele replies after Terrell Wilson complains about obvious excessive force.
Ramsey County will now pay Wilson $525,000, according to Fox 9.
Video of the incident, which occurred on April 13, 2016 shows Terrell Wilson being punched and kneed in the crotch by VanDeWiel while being held in the chair, which he was already restrained in, by several other officers.
Footage shows VanWiele responding Wilson’s verbal complaint by punching him while restrained four times, then.
VanDeWiele then chokes him.
“Please don’t kill me,” he says, literally begging for his life before nodding off and falling forward.
VanDeWiele’s face smirks.
Videos shows Wilson bent forward in the chair when VanDeWiele forcibly presses Wilson’s head down into his legs.
The entire time, Wilson has a “spit hood” over his head and mouth, which officers placed on him.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, who was not working at the sheriff’s office at the time of the incident, said the video was not only troubling because of VanDeWiele’s actions.
“Equally disturbing is the fact that no one else in that video, whether it was the six correctional officers or the two police officers, were willing to step forward and put a hand on Mr. VanDeWiele and say, ‘Hold on, I’ve got it from here’ and intervene in that cycle,”
VanDeWile resigned in February 2017 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for his treatment of Wilson.
Additionally, the sergeant on duty at the time of the incident was also charged.
“[The supervisor] demonstrated failed supervision and poor training,” Fletcher told Twin Cities.
“The supervisor present and all employees witnessing these actions had a duty to intervene to stop the assaultive tactics and the use of excessive force,” Fletcher said in a statement.
“The conduct captured on the video will not be tolerated under my watch. Misconduct will be investigated expeditiously and if personnel are found at fault, discipline will be swift and thorough.”
Video was also brought to the attention of St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.
“If we saw video like that from anywhere else in the world, we’d call it torture.”
It brought County Commissioner Trista Matas Castillo to tears.
“I’m emotional and I’m emotional with my community because this is not okay,” Matas said in February.
Video of the disturbing incident can be seen above.