Susan Stocker / AP
Zachary Cruz is suing authorities in Florida for allegedly torturing and intimidating him while in custody because he is the brother of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz.
Attorneys for Zachary filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, accusing Broward County officials of violating the 18-year-old's constitutional rights "because he is related to a man who committed a most heinous act."
Nikolas Cruz killed 17 students and staff members after opening fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.
The lawsuit claims that after Zachary was arrested in March for trespassing at the site of the school shooting, Broward County authorities "conspired to hold him in custody, reset his bond to an excessive $500,000, and then engaged in a campaign of intimidation and torture once he was in the Broward main jail facility."
His attorneys have accused jail officials of using sleep deprivation tactics against Zachary, including "the use of intimidating and harassing behavior by guards, the use of a restraint vest 24 hours per day, and the use of 24-hour intense lighting," they said in a statement.
The attorneys said that Zachary then agreed to an"unconscionable" plea deal offered only to escape this "coercive" treatment.
Zachary was arrested again Tuesday for allegedly violating his probation by driving a car within 25 feet of another school in the area where he was not enrolled, and for driving without a valid driver's license.
Read the entire lawsuit here:
from BuzzFeed - USNews https://ift.tt/2w50IFs
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