‘Put Your Hands Behind Your Back!’: Kentucky Cop Punches 66-Year-Old Man with Dementia Six Times After Accusing Him of Public Intoxication and Shoplifting In Walmart, Body-Cam Video Shows

A 66-year-old Kentucky man with dementia plans to file a lawsuit against the city of Danville after he was violently arrested after being separated from his wife during a shopping trip to Walmart last October. The case endured months of legal delays as prosecutors continued to pursue a guilty plea on public intoxication and multiple other charges, including trespassing and shoplifting, despite the aggressive actions of the officers.& Since then, all charges against John Hardwick have been dismissed with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be refiled or brought again in court. He won’t be banned from Walmart as he would have been under conditions sought by prosecutors. John Hardwick is violently arrested by Danville police officers. (Photos: YouTube screenshot/the Civil Rights Lawyer) Surveillance footage circulating online shows an officer punching Hardwick six times, while separately released bodycam video shows him pleading for help before he was jailed—charged with public intoxication and shoplifting after trying to buy two packs of beer without ID. Lacking proof of his age, Hardwick was escorted to the service counter by a cashier. According to his family, this is when he became confused, mistakenly going behind the counter and placing a beer into his cart alongside...