WARNING: Video above contains images that may be disturbing to some viewers
A federal lawsuit was filed Monday, accusing a Lake Worth police officer of using excessive force.
In November 2020, Dustin Bates of Denton County was riding his motorcycle when Lake Worth officer, Jonathan Granado, attempted to pull him over, claiming his plates didn't match the motorcycle he was riding.
But Bates did not pull over, and took off.
After a brief pursuit, Bates lost control of the motorcycle, while exiting and jumped off the bike in a grassy area. He then began to run into a field as he saw the Lake Worth officer approaching.
Granado’s dash camera video showed his SUV slamming into Bates back as he ran. According to the lawsuit, Granado was driving toward Bates, and hit him driving around 45 mph.
Bates suffered three fractured ribs, a broken right leg, and a fractured spine in the incident.
Bates was later charged with evading arrest and drug possession, according to Tarrant County criminal court records. The charges against Bates related to the incident were dismissed in August.
The lawsuit states that Bates was not holding a weapon and he did not have anything in either of his hands. He wasn't reaching for his waistband, into his pockets, into his jacket, or any other place a weapon could have been, the suit says.
An investigation was conducted, and Lake Worth police claim Granado was slamming on his brakes at the time. But the grass was wet and police say Granado could not avoid hitting Bates with his vehicle.
Lake Worth police say the officer was suspended for two weeks. A grand jury decided not to charge the officer with a crime.
Following his suspension and administrative duty during a criminal investigation, officer Granado resigned.
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