Man Hit by Rochester Police Cruiser Files $7M Lawsuit

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York man struck by a Rochester police cruiser earlier this year has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the department.

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports (http://on.rocne.ws/2a1icDn ) 24-year-old Brian Norford claims in the lawsuit that police used excessive force when the cruiser rammed into him on a sidewalk in February. Court documents say the Rochester man suffered scarring and permanent disfigurement as a result.

Police have said they were responding to a call for men selling drugs and when they approached Norford, he took off and dropped a handgun during a foot chase. Authorities say Norford was charged with a weapons offense and later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

The city and some officers are also defendants in the lawsuit.

The department declined to comment.

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Information from: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, http://www.democratandchronicle.com

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]