Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Store employee sues Henderson police over shoplifting fight

A store employee is accusing five Henderson police officers and a sergeant of punching, kicking and jolting him with a stun gun after he became sandwiched between them and an armed fleeing shoplifting suspect.

City spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said Friday that Henderson officials will assess James Herndon's claims before responding to a lawsuit alleging he suffered lasting head and face injuries in the January 2018 incident at a Sportsman's Warehouse store.

The lawsuit filed Jan. 8 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas says Herndon was hit with a rifle butt and beaten after he jumped on the fleeing suspect, despite telling the officers he wasn't the suspect.

The document says closed-circuit TV showed the suspect had a gun in his belt before he ran as officers approached and Herndon jumped on him to stop him.