Tristen Quinn was arrested in March by the Wetumpka Police Department.

Quinn was tased and sustained injuries during his more than half hour encounter with officers from the Wetumpka Police Department and deputies with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. There was no video from any of the six law enforcement officers on the scene but there was video from a convenience store on U.S. Highway 231 showing portions of the encounter.

A narrative of the incident is recorded in court records. It is different from what Quinn and his attorney say happened. 

“Mr. Tristen Quinn is a victim of police brutality by officers of the Wetumpka Police Department and Elmore County Sheriff's Department,” McPhillips, Shinbaum attorney Andrea Hatchcock said. “On March 5, 2022, Mr. Quinn's face was stomped on, kicked and punched by these officers, after he was tased twice and lying flat on his back while in handcuffs.” 

A portion of the video was released to the media Friday by Hatchcock. The video shows Quinn running, with handcuffs applied in front, getting tased and then as Quinn lies almost motionless on his back, kicked and punched.

Hatchcock represents Quinn and had delayed releasing the video hoping the Wetumpka Police Department and Elmore County Sheriff's Office would further investigate the six officers they say were involved in the incident. Hatchcock had served a notice of claim on the City of Wetumpka related to the incident April 18 on Quinn’s behalf.

“It is our understanding that all of these officers are still on duty, and these departments have done nothing but try to cover up this incident,” Hatchcock said.

Wetumpka assistant police chief Ed Reeves said the department conducted an internal investigation into the incident.

“Our officers are cleared of any wrongdoing,” Reeves said Friday.

Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said he couldn’t comment because of the possible litigation.

Court documents related to Quinn’s criminal charges from the incident include a narrative reported by Wetumpka police officer Brenden Foster where he reports he and Elmore County deputy Bradley Evans tased Quinn causing him to fall on his face causing the injuries after Quinn was able to open the passenger door of the patrol vehicle he was being held in.

Hatchcock said deputy Blake Hicks is the one first kicking or stepping on Quinn’s face in the released video. Hicks testified at a preliminary hearing as Quinn is facing obstructing government operations, two counts of resisting arrest, second-degree assault, attempting to elude law enforcement, fourth-degree theft of property, third-degree escape and disorderly conduct.

According to Hatchcock, Hicks testified at the preliminary hearing he tripped over a taser wire and fell on Quinn.

“When I questioned him, he said, ‘Well I may have fallen beside him,’” Hatchcock said Hicks testified. “Then I had to hold him down because he was trying to get up.”

Hatchcock said the tasing was somewhat justified as Quinn was running from authorities after opening the door to a patrol vehicle while handcuffed.

“The excessive force is what they did after [tasing],” Hatchcock said. “He is on the ground in handcuffs laying there flat not moving. After the first stomp he went unconscious.”

Getting arrested

Quinn and his girlfriend Courtney Fulford were moving to Wetumpka. Family had helped them move items from south Alabama on Saturday, March 5.

“Me and family had just eaten dinner and traveling home,” Quinn said. “I get pulled over. I didn’t know at the time I had a tag light out.”

Quinn said an officer with the Wetumpka Police Department would approach his vehicle.

“I asked the officer why he was pulling me over,” Quinn said. “He said he would [tell me] as soon as he got my information. I didn’t think that was the way it worked. I thought I should know why I was getting pulled over first.”

Quinn said he and the officer would exchange a few more words before the officer asked Quinn to step out of the vehicle.

“I did and he cuffed me. He asked me if I would like to start over or something along those lines,” Quinn said. “I asked why did he pull me over. He said if I wasn’t going to give him my information he would arrest me for obstruction. I said fine you can get my fingerprints when we get there and you will know who I am there.”

Quinn said the officer would escort him to the police car.

“As we get to the door, he shoves me into it,” Quinn said. “I turn around and say ‘Alright’ to note that I don’t want that to continue. I turn around and continue to get in the car. As soon as I do, he slams me into the car and grabs me by the hair. 

“After he does that, he’s coming toward me, so I kick him to get him away from me. He is instantly enraged. He starts ripping me out of the car. That’s when everything starts to get a little blurry, moving a little fast.”

Fulford starts to take notice of the escalating incident in the rearview window. She exits the car and goes to the patrol vehicle.

“She comes over and starts screaming at me to stop, screaming at him to get off me,” Quinn said.

Fulford said the traffic stop escalated quickly to chaos.

“I looked back through the back window and seen the officer getting in the car and [Quinn's] boot coming off and them both kind of come out of the car,” Fulford said. “That’s when I got out of the vehicle and went back there. I was hollering at both of them to stop. I didn’t know what was going on. I just seen the commotion. I just knew it needed to stop.”

The narrative states Foster was injured noting swelling of the face and bleeding. Pictures are included in the incident report showing a small amount of blood just inside Foster’s lip.

The narrative said Fulford was pulling the officer off of Quinn. Hatchcock said video footage shows Fulford approaching Foster but not touching the officer.

“At some point I realized the officer had a taser pointed at me,” Fulford said. “I knew I needed to cool off. Once he got [Quinn] on the ground I gave him my name and everything calmed down. He put me in handcuffs rather roughly, shoved me to the ground.”

Fulford would be put in another patrol vehicle. She said officers wanted her to give up Quinn’s name.

“I gave him my Social Security number, I gave him everything he asked for,” Fulford said. “After that every cop on the scene came up wanting me to give them his name. I wouldn’t. I gave them my name. I thought that was all that I was required to do was give them my information.”

More law enforcement would arrive on the scene. Fulford would be taken from the scene to the Elmore County Jail. Fulford faces an obstruction of governmental operations charge. Those charges have been dismissed.

Quinn would be in a patrol car as well where he said officers would try to convince him to give up his name. Quinn said Wetumpka police officer David Fletcher punched him in the stomach while handcuffed in the patrol vehicle.

“I don’t think Foster told him the whole story, what really happened,” Quinn said. “Otherwise he wouldn’t be so angry at me.” 

Quinn said he pleaded with Fletcher to look at body camera footage to see what had happened.

“Fletcher told me that it didn’t matter what happened,” Quinn said. “He would be sure the body cam footage would be erased before the end of the night. That is when I started getting pretty excited and growing hopeless.”

‘The Escape’

Quinn said his thoughts were getting to him. He was sitting in the patrol car and could see someone sitting outside the convenience store. Quinn said he hears the patrol car doors lock and unlock.

“I get a bright idea and test the door handle to see if it opens and it does,” Quinn said. “I put my hands in front of me and take my other boot off. I start running towards the woman that I seen sitting out front because I wanted somebody know that they said they were going to delete the body cam footage. I at least wanted somebody to know that.”

Hatchcock said in the video it appeared law enforcement had gathered together before Quinn ran from the patrol vehicle. Two officers would fire tasers. The narrative states Quinn fell face first causing the injuries to his face. Quinn said after making his statement to the lady sitting there he turned towards the officers started to raise his hands and sit down. 

Hatchcock said the video represents Quinn going to the ground on his back, not his face. Hatchcock said the injuries to Quinn’s face came from law enforcement, not a fall.

Haynes Ambulance would arrive to remove the taser prongs from Quinn and bandage him up. But the report Haynes provided Hatchcock and Quinn doesn’t match the video evidence Hatchcock said was recovered from the store.

“They note in the report they took his heart rate, his blood pressure, all that,” Hatchcock said. “They even write numbers down, but you can see in the video they didn’t do that. The police told Haynes he didn’t lose consciousness.”

Going to the hospital

Quinn said officers told Haynes Ambulance he didn’t need transporting to the hospital. Quinn said he was first transported to the Elmore County Jail.

“They said they couldn’t receive someone in this condition,” Quinn said. “So I go to the hospital.”

Quinn would be treated for his injuries. He would even shower at some point at the hospital in the presence of law enforcement.

“Foster and Fletcher were switching shifts,” Quinn said. “Fletcher was coming in to watch me. I called him out in front of the hospital staff and said, ‘That is the scumbug that was going to delete the footage.’ Then he told me, ‘Shut the [expletive] up.’”

Quinn said he told Fletcher he knew about the cameras at the convenience store, but Fletcher said he had seen the videos already and Quinn wasn’t in them.

Videos

Hatchcock said there are multiple videos from different angles showing much of the incident.

“You see Foster arrest him,” Hatchcock said. “He isn’t doing anything, walking. When they walk to the side [of the vehicle] and you can’t see anything until he pulls him out.”

Hatchcock said she had the videos when the preliminary hearing was held and based some of her questions in the hearing on them. 

What’s next

Quinn’s charges were bound over to an Elmore County grand jury for possible indictment.

Fulford is awaiting a preliminary hearing on her charge of obstructing governmental operations. The charge has been dismissed.

Hatchcock said the City of Wetumpka has not responded to the notice of claim on Quinn’s police brutality claim. A formal lawsuit has not yet been filed.

Quinn said he never thought he would see himself in such a situation.

“I’ve dealt with some cops who are kind of hard to deal with,” Quinn said. “I thought they were a bit rough, but they were actually decent cops in comparison to these guys.”

Quinn said he is fearful something similar could happen to someone else with the officers still on patrol.

“It’s been pretty rough, knowing they are still out there doing the same thing everyday, knowing other people, the same thing could happen to them,” Quinn said.

Quinn and Fulford are back in south Alabama. Quinn was treated for a fracture to his cheek bone found after swelling went down, lacerations, a hematoma in the eye and a concussion. Though his injuries are recovering, Quinn said, “It’s been different” since the March incident.

“It has been interesting driving, especially at night,” Quinn said. “Anytime I think there is a cop behind me I instantly fill with adrenaline expecting the worst.”