An individual from Alabama is pursuing legal action following the amputation of his hand, purportedly due to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department’s use of excessive force during his arrest in February 2020.
Giovanni Loyola alleged that he was handcuffed for an extended period after his arrest, resulting in restricted circulation in his wrist and ultimately leading to the amputation of his hand.
Expressing his anguish, Loyola told the outlet in 2021, “It was incredibly painful. It’s a terrible experience. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. It was completely unexpected. I’m speechless.”
On the evening of February 16, 2020, Loyola, then 25 years old, was apprehended for disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace. Despite denying a physical altercation with his brothers outdoors and stating he was merely engaged in a verbal dispute, he was taken into custody.
In his complaint, Loyola stated that he was at his mother’s trailer watching television when several deputies arrived.
According to a report filed by Deputy Christopher Godber six days after the arrest, Godber stated that he and two other deputies responded to multiple calls reporting gunshots and a physical altercation. However, in Loyola’s complaint, he alleges that deputies forcefully entered the home, slammed him into a car, threw him on the ground, and punched him in the face.
In his report to the magistrate, Deputy Godber mentioned that Loyola appeared intoxicated, with slurred speech and engaged in arguments with family members inside his mother’s trailer.
Loyola, reportedly 5’5″ and 132 pounds, claimed that he pleaded for assistance in adjusting his handcuffs, which deputies ignored, and that he was denied medical treatment once in jail.
