CONNECTICUT – Two former police officers were sentenced Thursday to prison for illegally using excessive force against a suspect who failed to stop at a traffic stop, officials said.
U.S. District Judge Jeffery Alker Meyer sentenced the two former Bridgeport officers, Elson Morales, 43, and Joseph Lawlor, 41, to three months of imprisonment and six months of supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the FBI.
“The use of unreasonable force is illegal,” stated U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly. “When a police officer uses unreasonable force, he both violates the victim’s civil rights and undermines the community’s trust in law enforcement.”
Adding, “The vast majority of Bridgeport Police Department members, and all law enforcement officers, are public servants who dedicate their lives to protecting the public. However, any police officer who crosses the line during an arrest risks federal prosecution and, as this case demonstrates, incarceration.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, this is what happened:
On May 20, 2011, Morales and Lawlor engaged in a high speed chase of a van driven by an individual who was suspected of having a firearm and had failed to stop at traffic stop.
After a further foot pursuit in Beardsley Park in Bridgeport, the suspect was apprehended by Morales who used his Taser to incapacitate the individual.
Despite the fact the suspect was on the ground and effectively incapacitated by the initial use of the Taser, Morales deployed the Taser a second time and Lawlor kicked the suspect several times.
On June 10, 2014, Morales and Lawlor each pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The two men have resigned from the Bridgeport Police Department.