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Jerald Newman, the California grandpa bloodied by a Buckeye cop during a Black-Friday sale at a Walmart last year, alleges false arrest and assault against the officer in a lawsuit filed today.
Newman became a symbol of Black Friday chaos last year after the well-publicized incident.
Buckeye police officials said Officer Kevin Rorke used proper force against Newman, who was alleged to have shoplifted an on-sale video game. But video taken by shoppers shocked he public: Newman was slammed to ground so hard he lost consciousness for a moment while bleeding from a head wound.
The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior court, says the state Department of Public Safety recommended charges be filed against Rorke. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office never filed charges against either Rorke or Newman.
Newman’s suing Rorke and the Town of Buckeye, claiming the November 24, 2011 incident caused emotional distress for him, his wife and grandson. The boy, who’s being raised by the couple, told the U.K.’s Daily Mail two days after his grandpa’s arrest that people should never go to Walmart on Black Friday, “because if you go, you will get hurt.”
As Valley Fever reported in June, Newman had previously filed a $500,000 claim against the town.
