Hampton, Va. - After allegations of police brutality, the Hampton Police Department released dash cam video footage of the incident in which a man suffered facial injuries.
Andrew Lloyd Wiggins can barely mumble his words now. His jaw was shattered and his tongue was nearly severed during the incident. He also says a few teeth had to be removed.
On May 14th, officers were in the South Back River Road and Newport News Avenue area when they saw a gold minivan being driven by someone who they knew had a suspended driver's license. Wiggins was one of three passengers inside.
Police stopped the car and asked the occupants to exit while they searched.
Police say they found a small amount of marijuana debris in the seat where Wiggins was sitting.
That's when officers started to search Wiggins while he leaned against the side of the van door.
They say the door began to close sliding sideways as Wiggins tried to adjust his balance. Police say this caused him to fall onto the ground and he suffered a facial injury.
Police say they called for medics and Wiggins was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Wiggins' wife, Linda, says another officer who was there apologized for what happened to her husband.
"That is when I knew basically that something was really wrong again because he was walking and pacing and pacing the hallway, shaking his head apologizing because he really felt bad about it. So that kind of gave me a big clue OK?" says Mrs. Wiggins.
She says he told them he was losing his balance and officers ignored him several times. She says he asked officers "Please don't let me fall."
Mrs. Wiggins says her husband was searched for no reason.
"It was during that confrontation that Andre Wiggins was handcuffed without being charged with anything. He was forced to lean against the vehicle and had his feet snatched from Beneath him while informing officer Ramirez he was losing his balance," says Mrs. Wiggins.
Police say the fall was an accident, but Wiggins disagrees.
"He had a jaw and that was broken they had to put eight screws in his job to reset it into position they had to remove four of his teeth they had to do plastic surgery on his tongue," says Mrs. Wiggins.
The driver of the vehicle, Kenneth Lovell Piggee, 46, was arrested for falsely identifying himself. Police say he also had a warrant on file for revocation of a suspended license. He had been declared a habitual offender.
On Monday, the department posted a message about the incident on their Facebook page.
"At the Hampton Police Division, we deeply value our relationship with the citizens we serve. Transparency and open communication is always our top priority. In this video, an individual falls during a search and suffers a facial injury. We have attached a link to the entire press release that provides further information.
We wanted you to know that we take injuries and accidents very seriously, and a full internal investigation is being conducted. Thank you for your continued support, and understanding."
