KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A judge has ordered the city of Kodiak to release records related to an encounter between three police officers and an autistic man whose mother says he was traumatized by the experience.
A lawsuit filed by Kodiak Public Broadcasting Co. says the 28-year-old man was checking his family’s mailbox on Sept. 16 when three police officers handcuffed and pepper sprayed him. He was not arrested or charged.
His mother said he was traumatized by the experience, which left her son bloody and bruised.
Authorities have not said what prompted the incident. The police blotter notes on the call say “suspicious circumstances; all okay.”
Kodiak Judge Steve W. Cole on Tuesday rejected the city’s arguments that privacy issues and an ongoing, third-party investigation exempted the information from being released. Cole gave the city until Dec. 31 to release recordings from the officers’ chest cameras.
Cole wrote that “ … the city has not met its burden to show the disclosure request should be denied … “
Assistant Kodiak City Manager Mike Tvenge says the city plans to comply with Cole’s order. He said he hopes the community finds the information valuable.
