Phoenix teen required surgery after confrontation with police

PHOENIX — A civil rights attorney is seeking $500,000 in damages for a teen who was assaulted by police officers, according to a notice of claim. 

The officers can be heard on bodycam footage telling the teen’s father to beat and drag his son as discipline during the incident before taking the teen to the ground, causing a fractured wrist and other injuries, according to the claim filed by Larry Wulkan of Zwillinger Wulkan PLC. 

On Jan 23, 2024, Sergio Nino III’s father called the police because he was having issues disciplining his son during an argument. 

Bodycam footage from the night shows officers arriving at the home and speaking with Nino’s father. The officers then suggest beating his son and dragging him into school when he refuses to go. 

“You drag him. You drag him, you hit him,” the officer is heard saying. “If you wish to beat him, you can beat him. If you wish to belt him, you belt him.”

“He can call child services but if they see that you’re disciplining him, they throw it in the shredder,” the officer said. 

After speaking with the father, the officers knock on the teen’s door to speak with him. One officer threatens to detain the teen. 

“Because you are being a little brat,” the officer said. 

As the video continues, the teen accuses his father of assault and attempts to show an officer a video when the officer takes the phone from Nino’s hands. The teen tries to grab the phone back and is taken to the ground by officers, video shows. 

Blood can be seen on the floor in the video from a facial injury Nino suffered that required stitches, lawyers said. He also suffered a fractured wrist that required surgery.

“Despite their duty as mandatory reporters under Arizona law, the officers ignored and dismissed multiple reports of child abuse from both Sergio and his sister,” a statement from Wulkan said. 

The notice of claim, a required step before filing a lawsuit, is against three Phoenix officers and the City of Phoenix. 

“If the City does not resolve the claim, a federal lawsuit will be filed against the City of Phoenix and the involved officers,” Wulkan said in a statement. 

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