Opinion ID: 2974569
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Analysis Applied to Baker and Snader

Text: Viewing the record in the light most favorable to Troy Baker, we hold that he has set forth facts sufficient to establish a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Officer Taylor used excessive force in arresting him on December 15, 2002. Baker alleges that when Officer Taylor followed him to the bushes, he came out from behind the bushes with his hands straight up in the “surrender” position. At this point, according to Baker, Officer Taylor struck Baker in the head with his asp, knocking Baker to the ground. Officer Taylor then struck Baker in the knee, yelling “[t]hat’s for running from me.” Because Baker had surrendered before being struck, a reasonable jury could conclude that Officer Taylor’s strike to Baker’s head was unjustified and excessive. By raising his hands in the surrender position, Baker arguably showed that he was unarmed, was compliant, and was not a significant threat to Officer Taylor’s safety. A reasonable factfinder could therefore find that Officer Taylor’s strike to Baker’s head was unwarranted and unreasonably severe. Moreover, a jury could find that Officer Taylor acted unreasonably in striking Baker’s knee after Baker had fallen to the ground. We have held repeatedly that the use of force after a suspect has been incapacitated or 4 Although plaintiffs allege that Officer Taylor violated both their Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to be free from excessive force, we apply a Fourth Amendment analysis to their claims, as the allegations stem from force used during the course of an arrest. See Ciminillo v. Streicher, 434 F.3d 461, 465-66 (6th Cir. 2006) (applying a Fourth Amendment, rather than Fourteenth Amendment, analysis where plaintiff was “seized” by police during riot). No. 05-4390 Baker v. City of Hamilton, Ohio, et al. Page 6 neutralized is excessive as a matter of law. See, e.g., Shreve v. Jessamine Cty. Fiscal Court, 453 F.3d 681, 687 (6th Cir. 2006); Champion, 380 F.3d at 902 (citing cases); see also Phelps v. McCoy, 286 F.3d 295, 301 (6th Cir. 2002) (“[T]here was simply no governmental interest in continuing to beat [plaintiff] after he had been neutralized, nor could a reasonable officer have thought there was.”). At the time he was struck in the knee, Baker had surrendered and had been neutralized by Officer Taylor; the strike to Baker’s knee was unjustified and gratuitous. Furthermore, Officer’s Taylor alleged statement after striking Baker’s knee – “[t]hat’s for running from me” – shows that the purpose of this hit was not to subdue Baker, but rather to punish him. See Pigram v. Chaudoin, No. 06-0378, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 25073, at  (6th Cir. Oct. 5, 2006) (unpublished) (noting that officer’s slap to plaintiff “cannot reasonably be construed as a means of subduing Pigram” where the officer’s stated justification for the slap was because the plaintiff had a “smart-ass mouth”). That Baker was not handcuffed at the time he was struck does not preclude a finding of unreasonableness. See Tapp v. Banks, 1 F. App’x 344, 350 (6th Cir. 2001) (unpublished) (“[I]t is not objectively reasonable for an officer dealing with an essentially compliant person, to strike the person’s legs twelve to fifteen times in the absence of resistance.”). Moreover, that Baker received one strike to the head and one to the knee from Officer Taylor’s asp – in comparison to the numerous punches and head slams at issue in Phelps or the repeated strikes to the leg in Tapp – does not necessarily render Officer Taylor’s behavior reasonable. See Pigram, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 25073, at  (holding that a single slap, administered after the plaintiff had been subdued, under specific circumstances, may constitute a Fourth Amendment violation). Finally, that Baker had attempted to evade arrest does not preclude his claim of excessive force against Officer Taylor or render Officer Taylor’s use of his asp reasonable. See Shreve, 453 F.3d at 687 (holding that strikes to plaintiff’s back and knee are unreasonable where plaintiff was already incapacitated, despite plaintiff’s prior attempt to avoid detection by police). A jury could therefore find that Officer Taylor acted unreasonably in striking Baker’s head and knee and used excessive5 force in violation of Baker’s Fourth Amendment rights during the arrest on December 15, 2002. The next inquiry is whether Baker’s right to be free from such strikes was “clearly established” at the time of the incident. We conclude it was. We have noted recently that “[c]ases in this circuit clearly establish the right of people who pose no safety risk to the police to be free from gratuitous violence during arrest.” Shreve, 453 F.3d at 688 (citing cases). Although Shreve post-dated Baker’s arrest by four years, there was ample case law in this circuit to give notice to Officer Taylor that Baker had a constitutional right to be free from gratuitous strikes to the head and knee. For example, Phelps – which held that a police officer has no governmental interest in repeatedly striking a criminal defendant after the defendant has been neutralized – was released on April 10, 2002, eight months before Baker’s arrest. Phelps, 286 F.3d at 301-02. In Adams v. Metiva, 31 F.3d 375 (6th Cir. 1994), we likewise held that the use of force on a suspect after he had been incapacitated by mace is excessive force as a matter of law. Id. at 386; see also McDowell v. Rogers, 863 F.2d 1302, 1307 (6th Cir. 1988) (“[O]ur court has repeatedly found that a totally gratuitous blow with a policeman’s nightstick may cross the constitutional line. . . .”). Because there was significant Sixth Circuit case law support for Baker’s right to be free from gratuitous strikes to his body, qualified immunity is not an available defense for Officer Taylor. 5 In support of his Fourth Amendment claim and in opposition to defendants’ motion for summary judgment, Baker offered his hospital records, an affidavit by a witness who claims to have observed Officer Taylor strike Baker, and three affidavits by individuals who claimed to have been hit by Officer Taylor with his baton or asp. In its Opinion and Order, the district court did not indicate whether it had considered these materials. On appeal, defendants argue that the witness’s affidavit should be disregarded because it contradicts Baker’s depiction of the arrest. Defendants argue further that the other affidavits are inadmissible “other acts” evidence under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b). We need not consider these arguments, however, because Baker’s complaint and deposition testimony is sufficient to establish a genuine issue of material fact. See Shreve, 453 F.3d at 687-88 (finding deposition testimony, although inconsistent, sufficient to defeat defendants’ motion for summary judgment). We therefore express no opinion as to the admissibility of this evidence offered by plaintiffs. No. 05-4390 Baker v. City of Hamilton, Ohio, et al. Page 7
Viewing the facts in a light most favorable to the non-moving party, Jesse Snader was surrendering at the time that Officer Taylor struck him with his baton. In light of this action, he has alleged facts sufficient to establish a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Officer Taylor used excessive force in arresting him on October 23, 2003. Snader claims that Officer Taylor struck him on the back of his head while chasing Snader, after Snader had announced that he was slowing down. After striking Snader, Officer Taylor allegedly tackled him and sat on Snader’s back with a choke hold, while other officers caught up and subsequently struck Taylor in his legs. Defendants argue that Snader had not surrendered at the time that he was struck by Officer Taylor because, although he announced that he was stopping, he had yet to come to a complete stop. We disagree. We find it particularly important that in this case, Snader allegedly yelled “I’m stopping!” in response to Officer Taylor’s instruction that he would shoot Snader if he did not stop. Snader’s alleged response shows that he was compliant with Officer Taylor’s order and in the act of surrendering when struck by Officer Taylor. A jury could therefore find that Officer Taylor’s use of his asp was unjustified and gratuitous. We also find it significant that Officer Taylor struck Snader on the head. We have noted repeatedly that a blow to an individual’s head may constitute excessive force, see, e.g., Bultema v. Benzie County, 146 F. App’x 28, 36 (6th Cir. 2005) (unpublished); Phelps, 286 F.3d at 302; Davis v. Bergeron, No. 98-3812, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 17984, at -13 (6th Cir. July 27, 1999) (unpublished), and in the circumstances alleged by Snader, Officer Taylor’s strike to such a sensitive and vitally important part of Snader’s body was objectively unreasonable. Even if we were to agree with defendants that Officer Taylor’s use of his asp was necessary to subdue Snader – and we6do not – Officer Taylor could have struck Snader in another, less sensitive part of Snader’s body. Because a jury could find that Snader was surrendering at the time he was struck in the head, we likewise conclude that Officer Taylor’s use of his asp was gratuitous. As we discussed above, Snader’s right to be free from a gratuitous strike to the head was clearly established at the time of this incident. See, e.g., Phelps, 286 F.3d at 301-02; McDowell, 863 F.2d at 1307. Officer Taylor, therefore, may not avail himself of qualified immunity for the Snader incident.