Giovanni Loyola claims in a lawsuit that police in Alabama handcuffed him so tightly for so long that his hand had to be amputated. It is slated for an April trial. (Courtesy of attorney Jon Goldfarb)
Cops in Alabama handcuffed a man so tightly and for so long that he had to have his left hand amputated, according to a lawsuit that is set to go to trial in federal court in April.
Judge Anna M. Manasco of the Northern District of Alabama wrote a memorandum opinion on a motion for summary judgment, which outlined the incident.
It occurred on Feb. 16, 2020, at a home in Pinson, northeast of Birmingham. Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies received a shots fired call at the home where Giovanni Loyola lived. Deputies Christopher Godber and Ashanti McKinney, named defendants in the lawsuit, arrived and knocked on the door.
Loyola answered and eventually came out to speak with the deputies, where he denied firing any gunshots. Godber claims Loyola was drunk and pushed him, which caused Godber to put Loyola in handcuffs. Loyola stated he was handcuffed for no reason. Godber said Loyola was resisting arrest and trying to get up, so he struck Loyola several times to gain compliance. Godber never turned on his body camera, while McKinney’s camera was partially blocked.