Treshon Broughton, Former Black WSU Footballer, Sues Police For Using Excessive Force

Former Washington State University football player Treshon Broughton has sued the Pullman Police department and two officers for using excessive force and false reporting in connection with a February 2017 incident that happened at Bob’s Corner Market.

Two videos recently released by the department — one from an officer-worn bodycam and another from a surveillance camera at the store near the Washington State University campus — showed the officers arresting and manhandling Broughton as he tried to show them his ID.

The lawsuit, filed on Oct. 30, said the officers, Shane Emerson and Alex Gordon, used excessive force while arresting the cornerback, and then lied about what led to it. The officers were responding to a 911 call. A report on KHQ, an NBC-affiliated television station, noted the person who made the call said everything was fine and hung up.

Broughton was near the store when the officer confronted him about his ID. In both the videos, he can be seen agreeing to show the ID.

“You have ID with you partner?” Emerson can be seen asking Broughton, to which the latter replies, “Yeah, I got ID with me, it’s probably somewhere around here.”

He checks his pockets and pulls out two lighters and keeps it on the countertop. He reaches into his pocket again, which is when the officer asks him to put his hands behind his back. He then calls for backup. Broughton can be heard throughout the video justifying he was just trying to take out his ID.

A second officer wraps his hand around Broughton’s neck and they violently push him to the ground. The officer can be heard telling him he was under arrest before taking him. His ID could be seen on the ground toward the end of the video while he was held down by three officers, two men and a woman, as the staff cleared the area.

The charges against Broughton were later dropped as the officers' claims were “unfounded, lacked probable cause, were without factual support and based upon a deliberate misrepresentation of factual events,” according to court documents, the Daily Evergreen reported.

Reports said store employees told the police Broughton tried to buy something using a fake $20 bill, but the same bill was nowhere to be found when officers searched him after the arrest. The lawsuit filed by Broughton contained nine charges against the department, the City of Pullman and the officers including false arrest, excessive force, unlawful seizure, defamation, and malicious prosecution. Broughton said he did not had enough time to comply with the demand as the officers started assaulting him.

Pullman Police Department Cmdr. Chris Tennant said the department could not comment on the incident as it relates to an ongoing investigation. He is seeking an unnamed amount for attorney fees and punitive damages for each of the charges, and also a trial by jury for the suit.