‘For the Love of God, Stop, Sir!’: Black Man Whose Arm Was Broken with ‘Loud Pop’ Sound During Arrest While Seeking Help for Medical Issue Gets Settlement from Oklahoma City Police

A Black man who said he was disoriented from kidney failure when he went into a convenience store and acted unruly and was then unduly roughed up by the police who arrested him has reached a $70,000 settlement with Oklahoma City. In his federal lawsuit, Jeffery Earle Lassiter, now 55, claimed that he was driving from Oklahoma City to Dallas in the wee hours of Aug. 9, 2021, when he became overheated and dehydrated as a result of kidney failure. His car, which had been involved in a collision a few days prior, had also overheated, he said, and he drove to a Love’s convenience store near the interstate to get some water. Jeffery Earle Lassiter seen on ground during rough arrest. (Credit: Oklahoman Bodycam Video Screengrab) “The dehydration had manifested itself as confusion and disorientation, and as he entered the convenience store trying to get something cold to drink, he stumbled and knocked over a water display,” the lawsuit said. Lassiter claimed that when he tried to communicate his distress to store employees, they called 911 to report he was destroying their property.  Lassiter, who had “become belligerent and loud” upon entering the store, according to a store employee,...