A Walker couple claims that after they called 911 upon finding their son unresponsive in a pool, police used excessive force, including a Taser, and unlawfully arrested the husband.
Eric and Sarah Courtney filed a lawsuit earlier this month over an incident with the Walker police last April.Â
On an early morning in April 2024, Sarah Courtney and her husband, Eric, found their young son Issac's "lifeless body" floating in their swimming pool. They immediately called 911 and several officers arrived.
One officer left and took Issac with him to a nearby hospital — causing Eric Courtney to believe his son had died, the lawsuit says. Officer Blake Cavalier then reportedly ordered Eric Courtney to the front of the house and asked for identification, according to the lawsuit.Â
Eric Courtney was distraught, believing his son died, and when he did not respond in a manner appropriate to Cavalier, the officer became hostile, according to the legal filing.Â
Cavalier told him to sit down, and when he did not immediately comply, Cavalier "grabbed Mr. Courtney's shoulder with a shoulder lock maneuver, throwing him to the ground," the lawsuit says. Other officers came to assist Cavalier and kneeled on top of Eric Courtney, the lawsuit alleges.
"It is alleged on information and belief that Officer Cavalier falsely communicated to the officers that he had been assaulted by Mr. Courtney — and that Mr. Courtney needed to be subdued," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims officers then handcuffed Eric Courtney and struck him repeatedly with their knees. An unidentified officer then extracted his Taser, the Courtneys claim.Â
"Do not TASE him," the lawsuit quotes Sarah Courtney, who was standing nearby, as saying.
The officer fired the device at Eric Courtney as he was lying face down on the ground in handcuffs, the lawsuit alleges.Â
Officers transported Eric Courtney to the Livingston Parish Detention Center, where the Courtneys claim he was stripped and placed in a cell. A guard told him he was there "because he refused medical treatment," the lawsuit states.
Eric Courtney claims that while he was in the cell, he was told his son had a pulse and was going to live, which was the first time he learned that his son was alive.
After his release, Eric Courtney needed medical treatment for a fractured rib, multiple abrasions and contusions, the lawsuit says.
He faces criminal charges of resisting arrest by force, battery on Cavalier and damage to a police car.
The Courtneys sued Cavalier, the city of Walker and Walker Police Chief David Addison, claiming unlawful detention, unreasonable seizure, excessive force and false arrest.
Walker City attorney Robert King said he could not comment on pending litigation.
Walker Police spokesperson John Sharpe said Friday he had no knowledge of the police employees receiving the lawsuit.
Editor's note: This story has been updated since it was first published to correct the spelling of Officer Blake Cavalier's name.Â