Polk deputies accused of assaulting teen with disabilities while serving warrant, family seeks accountability

Polk County deputies accused of assaulting disabled teen

A local family is calling for accountability, accusing deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office of assaulting their disabled 15-year-old son. FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A Winter Haven family is calling for the Polk County Sheriff's Office to be held accountable after they say their 15-year-old son was wrongfully detained and traumatized during the execution of an arrest warrant. 

The warrant was meant for a suspect who had no affiliation with them and who no longer lived at the home.

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What they're saying:

Life Malcolm, the family's attorney, claims that on Dec. 29, deputies knocked on Maria Jacob's apartment looking for a suspect with an active warrant for attempted first-degree murder. However, this suspect had no relationship with them and no longer lived there.

"When Damahri opened the door, deputies pushed the door in, grabbed Damahri out, slammed him to the ground," said Malcolm. "Multiple deputies got on top of him, arms, neck, back and handcuffed him."

The family says Damahri's right shoulder was hurt during the incident.

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The other side:

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office says they were helping the Winter Haven Police Department serve the warrant, which listed the suspect's address as Damahri's home.

"The driver’s license database showed no new active driver’s licenses linked to that residential address other than [the suspect's]. We had other electronic evidence showing [the suspect] around the apartment complex on December 24 and December 29..."

"What they should do when they're wronged is simply admit accountability and make whole those they wronged, and we expect that from them," said Malcolm. 

Dig deeper:

Students at BibleWay Royal Christian Academy in Winter Haven chanted outside the Polk Sheriff Central District Office holding signs and wearing makeshift slings, all in support of Lane.

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"We wanted to make sure Ms. Lane wasn't alone in this situation. And let Damahri know that he will not be alone through this ordeal," said Minister Tilex Altidor with the Poor and Minority Justice Association and minister at Bible Way Royal Christian Academy. "The sad part is this could be them in the future, so if we can make our voices known now, we can prevent this from happening in the future." 

What's next:

The sheriff's office has an open administrative investigation regarding the incident.