SC deputies beat man with intellectual disabilities during a traffic stop, lawsuit says

A man with intellectual disabilities says he was thrown to the ground and beaten by Greenville County sheriff’s deputies in an unprovoked attack after a traffic stop in 2020.

Kenneth Robert Langford filed a lawsuit in state court against the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and seven officers Feb. 15.

Named in the lawsuit are Sgt. Bradley Grice, Deputy John James, Deputy Pierre Frazile, Deputy Andrew Herring, Deputy Brian Leister, Deputy Ryan Humburg and Deputy Kyle Alexander. Hobart Lewis was also named in his capacity as sheriff.

Lt. Ryan Flood, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said he could not comment on a pending lawsuit. He said all officers named in the suit remain employed and a use of force investigation was not conducted because his office did not receive a complaint.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of May 9, 2020, when Langford was driving home on Chapel Road in the southern part of Greenville County. One officer pulled him over on suspicion of speeding.

The officer immediately called for backup when Langford got out of the car. Six other officers arrived.

The lawsuit includes body camera videos showing Langford being thrown to the ground and several officers holding him down, while three hit him. He can be heard crying and moaning.

“I’m not out to start trouble,” he pleaded while lying face down on the ground. He said he was just trying to get home.

“You’re resisting arrest,” at least two officers said.

Once Langford was restrained, the officers brought him to a sitting position, and he cried out.

“I am not one to fight or run,” Langford said.

“We don’t know you,” Leister responded.

The lawsuit quotes the officers describing what they did.

“Sgt. Bradley Grice had stated that he ‘delivered at least two knee strikes’ to Kenneth’s left upper shoulder; Officer Pierre Frazile described that, ‘[w]ith a closed fist, I delivered one strike to the subject’s meaty portion of the left thigh;’ Officer Andrew Herring stated he delivered ‘strikes to the meaty portion of his [Kenneth] right shoulder/trap area. I struck the area on the subject several times with an empty closed fist,’” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says deputies mocked Langford. On the video, officers can be heard saying, “what the f--- is wrong with you” and “shut the f--- up.”

One officer said Langford said he was in special education classes.

“As the plaintiff laid on the ground, face down, handcuffed and screaming out in pain, the officers walked away laughing, and stating ‘he pissed himself.’” the lawsuit said.

Langford was taken to an area hospital by EMS and diagnosed with “acute chest and shoulder pain, facial trauma with right orbital fracture and trauma to left eye, multiple abrasions and lacerations to his face with a pebble embedded in his forehead. He had an acute left shoulder dislocation, multiple fractured ribs, and was in tachycardia,” according to the lawsuit.

He was in the ICU for four days and spent a total of 16 days in the hospital, the lawsuit said.

“Force was not authorized to begin with in any form, but the force employed continued past the point where any reasonable officer would have known to cease the use of force because it was no longer justified. All of the officers had a responsibility to intervene,” the lawsuit says.

Langford is represented by Whetstone, Perkins and Fulda in Columbia and White, Davis and White in Anderson.

The lawsuit was first reported this week by FITSNews.

Able South Carolina, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities, reacted on Twitter to the lawsuit and videos of Langford’s arrest.

The experience described in Langford’s lawsuit “compounds the fears that people with disabilities may have towards law enforcement officials,” Able South Carolina tweeted. “A simple traffic stop can turn bad because of bias. People with disabilities have been accused of being violent when we are scared. We have been accused of resisting when we don’t understand what is happening or being said.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 2:16 PM.