Ronald Saint-Vil has filed a lawsuit against Miami Beach police, alleging they shouted the N-word at him and stunned him with a Taser until he vomited.
On November 11, 2017, Saint-Vil was hired to assist an event to help raise money for victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. After DJ’ing the event, Saint-Vil left with his wife. When his wife forgot her purse inside the DJ booth, he drove to the side of the hotel to let her out and waited for her to come back.
As Saint-Vil sat there and waited, he said he saw two Miami Beach police officers, Curtis Crews and Augustin Rodgriguez, putting someone into a transport van. He pulled out his phone and started recording, which apparently made the cops angry. One of the cops asked if he could help Saint-Vil and Saint-Vil told them he was fine. When he called his wife, one of the cops said, “You’re coming with me.”
Saint-Vil asked the cops why they were taking him. Then, Saint-Vil said Rodgriguez took out his taser and fired into him. After the initial shock, Saint-Vil said he was afraid for his life, so he took out the prongs and ran toward the beach.
By this time, a third cop, Alfredo Garcia, appeared as backup. Garcia caught up to him and used a taser on him again. Saint-Vil said he then threw up and fell to the ground. Other cops arrived to the scene. Saint-Vil said Rodriguez shouted insults as he handcuffed him without reading him his Miranda rights.
“Who’s got the biggest dick now, n——?” Saint-Vil alleges Rodriguez shouted. “You thought you were fast, n—–. Now we got you.”
Saint-Vil says he then asked Rodriguez why he was being arrested and claims he said, “Shut the f— n—–.”
When the police took Saint-Vil to the hospital to get treated for his taser wounds, they told hospital staff that he was drunk that night. However, Saint-Vil said that he wasn’t drunk.
Saint-Vil said that he was wrongfully charged for disorderly intoxication, battery, resisting arrest and interfering with a prisoner. The charges were later dropped.
“As a direct result of Officer Rodriguez and Officer Garcia’s actions, and Officer Crews’ inactions, an otherwise pleasant evening for Mr. Saint-Vil working at a charity event with his wife turned into an evening of unwarranted physical and emotional pain,” the lawsuit argues. “and a sobering insight into the traces of excessive force and racism that still plague police departments today.”