ST. LOUIS -- Three men claim to have suffered injuries and unjust treatment in a St. Louis jail from officers excessively using mace on inmates.
Derrick Jones, Jerome Jones, and Darnell Rusan filed a complaint on May 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against the City of St. Louis and corrections officers including, in their official capacities, City Justice Center Superintendent Adrian Barnes and Commissioner Jason Glass for excessive force and confinement amounting to punishment in violation of the 14th Amendment.
According to the complaint, on December 14, 2020, while detained in the St. Louis City Justice Center, Derrick Jones was allegedly maced in the face without provocation and was told to "marinate." In February, Jerome Jones was allegedly placed in a small, secure visiting room when jail staff sprayed the room with excessive amounts of mace, leaving Jerome in the mace-filled room, asking for help and shouting that he could not breathe, for nearly half an hour.
Also in February, Darnell Rusan allegedly received the same type of treatment, when he was locked for hours, fully nude, in a room filled with mace.
The three plaintiffs allege these are just specific examples of how often correctional officers are using mace in an abusive manner. Plaintiffs allege that instances with correctional officers happen daily where they use excessive mace without warning.
Plaintiffs allege that correctional officers have been noted to carry around riot-size mace and use it in small confined rooms, often leaving the detainees unable to breathe and being refused medical treatment. According to the complaint, one detainee was maced while having a seizure.
Plaintiffs seek nominal damages, costs and attorneys fees, and seek to prohibit the unconstitutional treatment of detainees. Plaintiffs are represented by Maureen Hanlon of Archcity Defenders, Inc.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri case number 4:21-cv-00600-NCC