Alabama man sues police, claiming he was handcuffed so tightly that his hand had to be amputated

A man in Alabama who lost his hand after the police allegedly handcuffed him too tightly has decided to take his local sheriff's department to court. The incident took place on February 16, 2020, according to AL.com.

Giovanni Loyola, 28, claimed that he was handcuffed so tightly during an arrest in 2020 that he lost circulation in his hand. He ultimately had to have the hand amputated.

Though he asked the officers to loosen the cuffs, they reportedly refused, and he was left in serious pain. "I don't wish that pain on nobody," Loyola said. A photo surfaced after the arrest that showed Loyola's blackened fingers, suggesting he had lost blood flow to his left hand.

The Daily Mail reported that physicians tried to save Loyola's hand by removing some fingers, but they decided to amputate his whole hand after four operations. He has now sued the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, claiming the officers used excessive force and violated his civil rights.

The case is set to be heard in April, per reports.

Loyola claims he was watching television in his mother's trailer when the authorities showed up at the residence. AL.com reported that "Deputy Godber, without answering and without asking permission to enter the home, reached inside the doorway, grabbed Plaintiff by the wrist and jerked him outside the home and down the steps."

Loyola added that the officers shoved him up against a car and pinned him to the ground before putting him in handcuffs. Though he asked for the officers to loosen the handcuffs, they did not listen.

The Daily Mail reported that the lawsuit claims, "Deputy Godber refused even to consider loosening the handcuffs. He kept the handcuffs on Plaintiff with the same degree of tightness until he had transported him to the Jefferson County Jail that night."

However, the authorities gave a different account of the situation. They said, "Giovanni Loyola was intoxicated and arguing with family members so loud inside his residence it could be heard from the public roadway."

"Dep. Godber tried to detain Loyola where he immediately became combative pushing Dep. Godber away."

After Loyola was in jail, he was reportedly denied medical treatment, according to the lawsuit. He eventually went to the hospital to have an operation on his hand.

“[He] was found to have a severe problem with blood flow to his left hand and is in need of emergent surgery,” the complaint said.

It is uncertain what damages Loyola is seeking in the case.

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