Driver experiencing medical emergency in 5 mph police chase that ended in battering ram now suing Houston deputies

The truck driver involved in a slow-moving police chase through Houston that ended in the use of a battering ram is now suing the deputies for using excessive force on him during a medical emergency. 

Truck driver Trinidad Cutshall led police on an hour long, 5 mph police pursuit along I-10 the East Freeway in Houston, Texas back in December 2023. Harris County Sheriff’s deputies eventually called in the SWAT team, and a battering ram was used to remove Cutshall from the truck. Cutshall was then bitten by a K9 officer while police allegedly beat him, sprayed him with tear gas, and used rubber bullets. Now, Cutshall and his attorney claim that he was suffering from a serious medical emergency at the time of the police chase and encounter. 

According to ABC 13, Cutshall was perceived to have “some level of impairment” by officers at the time of his arrest, and had revved the engine at them. Cutshall was charged with evading arrest and detention in a motor vehicle. Since then, prosecutors dismissed the evading charge against him less than a month before his trial. Cutshall’s attorney, Garrett Gibbins, says that prosecutors likely dismissed the charges because they were presented with evidence that Cutshall was suffering from sepsis at the time of the incident.  

“He had a medical condition that caused him to completely black out,” Gibbins explained, adding that Cutshall “had no idea” he was being pursued by police. 

The lawsuit brought forward by Cutshall alleges brutality by law enforcement, and names Harris County and 13 sheriff’s deputies. The suit calls their actions “evil, wicked, and vile.” Nine of the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge ruled that the case could move forward in early September. 

“Qualified immunity does not apply when there’s a German Shepherd shredding one arm while two other men are punching my client in the back of the skull repeatedly with their bare fists,” Gibbins said. “There were absolutely no weapons in the vehicle that could have harmed anybody. There was no threat to anybody…. I think that anybody would have trouble exiting a vehicle if they were unconscious and about to die from a medical emergency… All they had to do was cuff him, de-escalate the perceived threat, even though there was none, and then offer medical aid.”

In court filings, Harris County has stated that Cutshall  “did not appear to be suffering from a medical emergency, and did not comply with commands from law enforcement” during the incident. 

“If plaintiff was injured or damaged as alleged, such injuries were the result of his own intentional, illegal, or otherwise wrongful conduct,” the filings state.

The suit insists that the sheriff’s deputies be retrained, and is seeking millions in punitive damages. 

“We are seeking millions and millions of dollars in punitive damages, and I believe that we’re gonna get it,” Gibbins said. “I think the United States Supreme Court is gonna take the case.”