Camden County has agreed to pay $10 million to Xavier Ingram, a man who was left paralyzed after an encounter with police eight years ago.
Ingram, who was 21 at the time, suffered the injuries after a foot pursuit in Camden in June 2014. He is now a quadriplegic.
Xavier Ingram’s lawsuit
The lawsuit lists Camden County, the Camden County Police Department, then-Assistant Chief of Police Orlando Cuevas and then-Police Chief John Scott Thomson, as well as three police officers involved in the incident — Jeremy Merck, Antonio Gennetta and Nicholas Marchiafava — as defendants.
Xavier Ingram’s police encounter
Ingram was transferred from the nursing home, where he lives, and testified at the trial from his hospital bed.
In the lawsuit, Ingram says he encountered the police officers as he was walking to a liquor store where he met up with a friend. When he exited the store with his friend, the lawsuit alleges, he was approached by officers Gennetta and Marchiafava.
Ingram ran into the parking lot of a restaurant while the two officers continued to pursue him, according to the lawsuit, and then ran out into the street and surrendered while laying down on the ground with his hands in front of him.
The two officers “jumped on Ingram and handcuffed him,” which he did not resist, the lawsuit alleges says. Merck arrived at the scene as Ingram was being arrested.
Xavier Ingram, Photo Credit: Walk for Xavier Ingram
He testified that police officers held him down, stepped on his neck and didn’t provide adequate assistance when he said he couldn’t feel his legs.
Police maintained Ingram was injured when he slipped and fell on the wet street.
The incident was recorded on a grainy surveillance video.
A recent trial on March 29 ended in a deadlock which resulted in the new trial where the parties were able to reach the settlement.
“Based on the settlement, the county maintains, and continues to maintain, that no wrongdoing took place and is not liable for any of the actions and circumstances of the aforementioned incident,” Camden County spokesperson Dan Keashen said in an email to abc7.
