Operation Rescue Members Sue LAPD

A lawsuit was filed Thursday against the Los Angeles Police Department on behalf of six Operation Rescue protesters who alleged that officers selectively and unnecessarily used martial arts weapons against them.

The officers allegedly used nunchakus--two sticks attached by a chain--to haul five protesters away during a June 10 demonstration outside a Los Angeles women’s clinic, said the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Mark Lassiter.

The suit on behalf of Stanley John, James Frassett, Paula Santiago, Patrick Harris and Michael Housman asks the court to declare the use of the nunchakus against peaceful demonstrators a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure, Lassiter said.

A sixth plaintiff in the suit, Kenneth Fisher, makes similar allegations about the so-called pain compliance holds used by Los Angeles police officers at a March 25 demonstration outside another Los Angeles clinic. Fisher’s arm was broken during that demonstration, Lassiter said.

LAPD Cmdr. William Booth said he believes the weapons and the department’s use of them were constitutional.