A military veteran who was confronted by Louisville police last year at Mid City Mall has filed a lawsuit over the incident claiming he was wrongfully detained and assaulted by officers.
The Courier-Journal reports Kentucky National Guard Lt. Col. Donald Blake Settle has requested unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Settle says officers forced him to the ground and handcuffed him without sufficient reason in January 2012.
Police have said they thought Settle was panhandling because he was wearing dusty clothes, had trouble speaking and couldn't tell them his address. Settle told the newspaper in a previous interview that he has poor memory and difficulty speaking due to an injury he suffered in Afghanistan.
Police declined to comment Thursday, but said in September that Settle acted aggressively toward the officers.