ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando just paid out a $30,000 settlement to a man who accused former Orlando Police Department Officer William Escobar of excessive force and false arrest.
Escobar, who was fired from the department, will soon face trial over an unrelated excessive force case.
The city's agreement with Kentluku Nugent, 37, states that the city disputes Nugent's claim and said the settlement was agreed to in order to avoid litigation.
Nugent's lawyer said Escobar broke Nugent's jaw in the 2013 incident, and that Nugent required surgery following the incident.
The report said Nugent, a convicted felon, had a stun device used on him three times in the incident, as well as pepper spary, after he ran from Escobar. The report shows that Escobar believed Nugent fit the description of a domestic violence suspect.
Escobar's report said Nugent was admitted to the hospital for injuries he received during the encounter.
Nugent was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, but the state dropped the case fewer than two weeks later.
In 2014 Channel 9 reported on video showing Escobar punching, dragging and kicking a handcuffed suspect. Following that report Nugent sent a letter of intent to sue to the city, accusing Escobar of excessive force and/or false arrest.
In this 2014 case, Refus Holloway, a military veteran with no criminal record, was believed by Escobar to be involved in a reported fight.
Holloway was arrested on resisting arrest charges but the state declined to prosecute the case.
Prosecutors have since charged Escobar with battery and perjury, saying he falsified his report.
Nugent's settlement, reached in July, has just come to light.
His two-page agreement with the city said the city is paying Nugent the $30,000 to avoid litigation and buy his "peace."
WFTV
