A Buckley man has accused Pierce County sheriff's deputies of excessive force in what he claims was a seven-minute beat-down by at least a dozen law enforcement officers following a pursuit alleged to have reached speeds over 100 mph in August 2020.
In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, Randall Stevens said deputies involved in his arrest stunned him with a Taser and pepper sprayed him, even though he did not act aggressively, and punched and kicked him as he lay controlled and face down on the ground outside his home where the chase ended.
One deputy struck Stevens, 57, above his left ankle with a heavy, steel flashlight, causing fibula fractures that forever changed how he walks, according to the legal filing. The lawsuit claims that Stevens will never return to his career as an aerospace machinist and engineer due to the altercation, which purportedly left him with intense nerve pain and psychological issues.
"There's a lot of opportunity to make an arrest without evolving into a seven-minute, 12-person gang-beating that culminates in a life-altering, unnecessary injury," attorney Jackson Millikan, who is representing Stevens in the lawsuit, told The News Tribune.
Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Adam Faber declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the county's practice of generally not publicly addressing pending litigation.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A tort claim Stevens filed against the county in July, a precursor to the federal complaint, asked for more than $1.6 million, plus punitive damages, according to public records provided to The News Tribune.
Law enforcement officers — including Buckley and Bonney Lake police called to assist in Stevens's apprehension — claimed that Stevens refused to pull over after being spotted excessively speeding. He rammed a deputy's patrol vehicle at least twice and then fought with authorities trying to arrest him, according to their accounts, found in dozens of pages of law enforcement records reviewed by The News Tribune.
One deputy, not named as a defendant in the suit, said that Stevens did not respond to verbal commands, pepper spray, a Taser or "hard empty hands" and he suspected that Stevens was potentially experiencing "excited delirium," according to the deputy's supplemental report on the incident, dated Aug. 14, 2020, a day after it occurred.
"Excited delirium," opposed in June 2021 as an official diagnosis by the American Medical Association, describes when a sufferer is said to be suddenly extremely agitated and abnormally strong, among other characteristics.
The deputy and a Buckley police officer also not named as a defendant in the suit suggested that Stevens might have been intoxicated. One noted a strong alcohol odor coming from Stevens's vehicle and observed three beer cans on the floorboard. The other said Stevens had "bloodshot and watery eyes" and yelled "just shoot me, you're going to have to shoot me."
Stevens pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2021, to third-degree assault, reckless driving, obstructing an officer and hit-and-run — lesser crimes than those for which he was initially charged, court records show. He was sentenced to just under a year in jail, with full credit for time served.
In a court statement related to his sentencing, Stevens acknowledged trying to push officers off him and driving his vehicle in a willful and wanton manner.
"The driving was not an alcohol-related offense. During the course of this event, I accidentally backed into an occupied vehicle and left the scene without making contact," he wrote. "I then put my fear and health concerns first, intentionally causing delay to officers making my arrest."
Millikan said that his client had taken responsibility for his actions, noting he was scared of police, but it did not excuse the degree of force used against him, which also left Stevens with a gash atop his head. Millikan rejected the police narrative that Stevens showed superhuman strength to push several people off of him.
"Frankly, I haven't seen that happen anywhere in real life, except Marvel comics," he said, repeating that the use of force was unjustified. "I don't care if he's the Hulk itself."
Pursuit leads to altercation
Stevens failed to pull over for a deputy after being spotted driving roughly 80 mph in a 25 mph zone on 258th Avenue East shortly after 10 p.m., according to his criminal case's charging document and a report from the pursuing deputy, who is not named as a defendant in the suit.
Authorities said they later learned that Stevens had a felony warrant for eluding police in Lewis County.
Stevens sped through a narrow, two-lane road, ran a stop sign and struck landscaping hard enough to cause the back end of his vehicle to lift off of the ground, according to the charging document. He allegedly reversed into the deputy's patrol car as the deputy tried to exit and then drove around the patrol car.
He stopped at 250th Avenue East and 112th Street East and, after the deputy again got out of his vehicle, Stevens reversed into the patrol car and continued across the street, where he drove onto his property in the 25000 block of 112th Street East. He stopped in a field behind his house, the charging document shows.
By that time, Stevens' vehicle had lost its front-right tire, according to the lawsuit and accounts from authorities. The deputy drew and pointed his firearm at Stevens, who was in his now-stopped and disabled car.
"The defendant was extremely uncooperative," the charging document states.
Authorities said that the deputy's attempts to grab Stevens by his arms were met with Stevens's efforts to pull the deputy into the car. A Taser stun to the chest and pepper spray proved ineffective.
Multiple deputies and Bonney Lake police officers arrived to assist with Stevens's apprehension, the charging document said.
Stevens had kept his hands on the steering wheel in "a feat of confused compliance and self-preservation," according to the lawsuit. It claimed Stevens only moved to pull Taser wires from his neck, where he purportedly was first struck, and to wipe his eyes after being pepper sprayed.
The struggle continued on the ground after Stevens was dragged out of his vehicle.
Stevens sustained three flashlight strikes to the rib, several more to the upper left ankle and several palm-jabs to his elbow while lying on his stomach, according to the charging document, which described Stevens as resistant to arrest, twisting and turning.
Eventually authorities handcuffed him. He purportedly refused to submit to a blood test. He complained he could not breathe during and after the altercation, according to records reviewed by The News Tribune, and he was placed on his side in a recovery position.
The lawsuit names Pierce County and deputies Colby Edwards, Greggory Marty and Brent Tulloch as defendants, and 10 others yet to be named because they have not been matched to the injuries they purportedly caused. Jail staff, who allegedly confiscated Stevens's crutches and splint, and medical staff are among the unnamed defendants, the legal filing shows.
