‘It breaks my heart’: Mother claims son was left paralyzed after encounter with Palm Bay police

By Gail Paschall-Brown

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    PALM BAY, Florida (WESH) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and a mother are demanding justice for Thomas Farley, who they claim was paralyzed after an encounter with Palm Bay police.

The family is questioning a Palm Bay police officer’s use of force.

“He didn’t deserve none of this … he can’t feel himself, he can’t, and it breaks my heart, he doesn’t even want to live,” said Pamela Farley, Thomas Farley’s mother.

On June 28, Thomas Farley visited Circle K on Babcock Road in Palm Bay after getting off work. Body camera footage shows Palm Bay police officers responding to a call.

Although no crime was committed, officers discovered Thomas Farley hiding in bushes.

“Thomas is tased repeatedly,” said Crump. “He should have never been tased. He tased six times when he’s on top of the fences … and he falls to ground and breaks his neck.”

The family demands that any criminal charges against Thomas Farley be dropped.

“We are here, not only here because it was an injustice; he can’t get proper rehab center as long as he has criminal charges pending,” Crump said.

Attorney Crump and Farley’s family said what happened to Thomas Farley was a cover-up and use of excessive force that caused him to be paralyzed.

They add if anyone should face charges, it should be the Palm Bay police officer who tased him.

The Palm Bay Police Department provided the following statement:

“We are aware of a press conference that occurred this morning regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Thomas Farley on June 28, 2024. Although we can’t respond directly to what was mentioned, we do want to provide information regarding what occurred and the review process.

“At approximately 11:42 p.m. on June 28, 2024, the Palm Bay Police Department received a call about a group of suspicious individuals being aggressive towards customers at the Circle K gas station at 4950 Babcock St NE. When officers arrived at the location, the individuals fled on foot at the sight of officers. One individual, Thomas Farley, jumped over the fence into a gated community and concealed himself in a bed of bushes. He then jumped back over the fence and began to run away from officers; refusing to comply with their requests for him to stop running. Another officer identified himself as police and made verbal contact with Farley to stop running. Farley refused to comply and jumped over a fence. After Farley refused to comply with several verbal commands to stop, the officer legally deployed his department-issued Taser. Farley was then taken into police custody and given medical attention.

“It is always a difficult situation whenever an officer is involved in an incident where force must be used, and an injury occurs. The Palm Bay Police Department is committed to upholding the constitution, state law, policy, and procedures while providing for the safety of our community. As a department that values integrity and complete transparency, we are releasing the following statement on behalf of Chief Mario Augello:

“When an officer uses any force on an individual, a complete review is conducted that includes reviewing all body camera footage and every written report including all supplemental ones. This case is no different. The moment my office was notified of this incident, a thorough examination was conducted through our Professional Standards Division and our Training Sergeant who is a Master Taser Instructor. After an extensive review, it was determined that the officer legally and justifiably used his Taser. The officer followed departmental policy, procedure, and Florida State Statute.

“The Palm Bay Police Department will continue serving our community with integrity, honor, and respect. We are committed to ensuring any incident involving a use of force is thoroughly reviewed, and officers are held accountable for their actions.”

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