MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

A man has filed suit against the East St. Louis police officers whom he alleges shot him in the back during a chase.

Milo Kimbrough alleges he was in the passenger seat of a vehicle and was waiting for his food to be prepared on Aug. 6. The vehicle was parked at Big C's parking lot near the intersection of 29th Street and State Street and East St. Louis, according to the complaint filed Nov. 18 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

Suddenly, multiple police cars appeared near the vehicle, the suit states, and police officers were attempting to arrest the driver of the vehicle, the suit states. The driver backed up and attempted to leave the scene, the complaint says.

"After he [the driver] had gotten out of the parking lot and was heading away from the police officers, the officers began firing at the car, striking the plaintiff in the back," the suit states. He alleges the officers eventually stopped the vehicle and an ambulance arrived to take Kimbrough to the hospital.

Because of the incident, Kimbrough suffered severe injuries, including a gunshot wound to his back and paralysis, according to the complaint. He also suffered pain, mental anguish, fear and consternation and incurred medical costs, the suit states.

Kimbrough alleges the East St. Louis police officers, identified as John Doe and Richard Roe, deprived him of his rights and acted with excessive force. He contends he never threatened the officers in any way throughout the incident.

"Defendants' actions were far more than necessary to bring the arrest and seizure of the plaintiff," the complaint says. "Indeed, their action indicates that their primary intent in using deadly force was to inflict serious bodily harm or death to the plaintiff."

In addition to the officers, Kimbrough names the city of East St. Louis as a defendant, saying it unlawfully assaulted and beat a citizen through its officers, used deadly force to combat a non-deadly force, stuck a suspect on the head or neck with a blunt object and struck a suspect who had been subdued and handcuffed.

In his complaint, Kimbrough seeks compensatory and punitive damages of more than $300,000, plus costs, attorney fees and other relief the court deems just. Attorney Jarrod P. Beasley, of Kuehn, Beasley and Young in Belleville, will representing him.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 14-L-760.