Man: Police slammed my head into windshield, cracking glass

LORAIN, Ohio – A man suing an Ohio police department alleges an officer violating his rights by slamming his head into a cruiser’s windshield with enough force to crack the glass.

The federal lawsuit filed last month says 32-year-old Lorain resident Pele (PAY’-lay) Smith received hospital treatment afterward. A dash cam video from the September 2014 arrest shows a Lorain officer identified in the lawsuit as Zachary Ferenec pushing the handcuffed Smith toward the cruiser.

Lorain police Capt. Roger Watkins says that officers believed Smith had swallowed drugs and that he struggled with officers during the arrest. He says the slamming of Smith’s head into the windshield was unintentional.

Smith was indicted on charges of tampering with evidence, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty and received probation.