A man is suing the Phoenix Police Department for over $15 million, alleging he suffered severe burns after being restrained on hot asphalt for over four minutes. The incident left him hospitalized for more than a month.
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Michael Kenyon, 30, has taken the first steps toward legal action against the city. His attorneys filed a notice of claim last week, per local outlet ABC 15, indicating plans to pursue a federal lawsuit if the city does not agree to settle the case for $15.53 million.
“Michael is 30 years old. At an average life expectancy, he should live another 42 years. That is 15,330 days,” Kenyon’s legal team wrote in the claim, per the outlet. “We are confident that not a single one of you would choose to live in Michael’s disfigured body and traumatized mind for $1,000 a day—and we are confident a jury would agree that this is a modest sum for what the Phoenix Police Department has caused to him.”
“A man who suffered third-degree burns across much of his body after Phoenix officers pinned him face-down on the scorching-hot pavement has taken the first step to file a federal lawsuit against the city.”
— Dave Biscobing (@DaveBiscobing15) January 4, 2025
Michael Kenyon wants $15M or he will sue. pic.twitter.com/07HEiBbFk1
Police Have Yet to Release Body Cam Footage of the Incident That Left Kenyon with Severe Burns
Last July, while walking through a parking lot and talking on his cell phone, Kenyon was stopped and questioned by police. Moments later, four officers forced him to the ground, pinning him against the asphalt as he cried out in pain, pleading that he could not move.
Despite media requests, police have yet to release body camera footage of the incident. However, cellphone video captured by an onlooker, as reported by ABC 15, provided a view of what transpired.
“Please… please… I can’t move. I didn’t do anything,” Kenyon pleaded with the officers in the footage, according to the outlet.
Kenyon did not face any criminal charges in connection with the incident.
Kenyon was hospitalized for over a month, recovering from severe third-degree burns on his face, arms, chest, and legs. Reportedly, large areas of flesh are missing above his knees.
“Phoenix police are demonstrating an utter disregard for human life,” one of Kenyon’s attorneys told ABC 15. “This young man was burned to the third degree because his skin was cooked on asphalt.”
Kenyon’s attorneys stated that the temperature in Phoenix reached a scorching 114 degrees that day. It’s estimated that the asphalt surface ranged between 180 and 200 degrees.
A Phoenix Police spokesperson told People that officers were responding to a theft report when they found Kenyon in the parking lot. According to the statement, Kenyon resisted the officers. This led to a struggle that ended with him being brought to the ground on the hot asphalt.
“The man sustained burns to different parts of his body from the time he was on the ground,” the spokesperson told the outlet.
Officers took Kenyon to the hospital after determining he wasn’t the theft suspect.