Seattle deputy's shove leaves innocent man in coma By TIM KLASS (Associated Press Writer) From Associated Press May 22, 2009 10:55 AM EDT SEATTLE - Authorities have released surveillance video showing a burly sheriff's deputy slamming a man head first into a wall earlier this month, leaving him in a coma.
Christopher Harris remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center, his family says. The 29-year-old had been pursued by deputies May 10 after a witness wrongly identified him as a suspect in an assault.
Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart (URK'-hart), who released the video Thursday, says Deputy Matthew Paul did not violate policy in tackling Harris. He says Harris was trying to get away, and calls the injury "a tragic accident."
A Harris family lawyer says the video and witness accounts show he was a victim of excessive force.