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ACLU Files Excessive Force Lawsuit Over 2013 Takedown

The American Civil Liberties Union alleges in a lawsuit that a Kansas City police officer used excessive force when taking a man into custody in December 2013.

The Kansas City Star reports that the suit filed Thursday against former officer Jordan Nelson seeks unspecified damages. It says Nelson kicked Joshua Bills' legs out from under him after Bills was stopped for matching a vague description of a suspicious person. The ACLU says Nelson never tried to put Bills in handcuffs or ask him to put his hands over his head or behind his back before the takedown. Video shows Bills hitting the ground.

Nelson referred a request for comment to the Missouri Attorney General's Office. That office didn't make a statement Thursday. The police department isn't named as a defendant.