Pretrial detainee sues Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office over excessive force
Maxine Brackbill | Photo Editor
Nyquest Allen alleges the deputies, part of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team, used excessive force when handling a "refusal to lock in" at the Onondaga County Justice Center.
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Nyquest Allen — a man who, as of March 20, is in pretrial detention at the Onondaga County Justice Center — is suing the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and three deputies for excessive force.
Responding to a “xf” at the prison in January, Allen wrote in his initial complaint that he was taken to a “big box” by members of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team — Deputies Sanderson, Murphy and Apple. Once in the room, Murphy uncuffed Allen, who had previously told the deputies the cuffs were “violently” tight. After saying he was hurt, Sanderson and Murphy punched and kneed Allen as the three deputies collectively held him down, Allen wrote.
According to VINELink, a service that provides free information regarding custody status, Allen is a 24-year-old Black man booked on Aug. 11, 2023. He is next set to appear in court on April 29 for burglary, grand larceny, possession of a controlled substance and unauthorized use of a vehicle among other offenses.
“I still can’t hear out of my left ear,” Allen wrote to end his statement of claims. “I’m always depressed & now it’s more like nightmare’s (sic).”
The sheriff’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Allen wrote that a nurse, Kate, noticed severe swelling on his head and face. Since he had also seen the nurse the night before for an abscess in his mouth, he asked her if he looked similar to how he had before. She responded that he did not have the swelling previously, Allen wrote.
While the deputies took him to the room, Allen wrote he noticed the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team did not have a camera present.
The next day, Allen told another nurse about the swelling as well as a cut on his right ear and marks on his wrist from the handcuffs, he wrote. The nurse said she had to schedule him for X-rays on his head and left wrist to make sure there wasn’t a fracture, according to the complaint.
Allen’s first claim is of excessive force, his second for “failure to protect” and his third for “cruel & unusual punishment (and) pain & suffering.” He wrote he is looking for a remedy for his physical and mental injuries along with $3 million.
Published on April 9, 2024 at 8:45 pm
Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard
