One-legged inmate awarded $504,000 in excessive force suit

A federal jury in San Francisco has awarded $504,000 to a one-legged jail inmate who was forced to hop to a cell. Wednesday’s verdict came in an excessive force lawsuit filed by Vincent Bell against the city. Bell is awaiting trial in connection with the 2012 murder of a man who was kidnapped, shot and dumped on a San Francisco street. Bell was being held at the jail in 2018 when he was moved to a padded “safety cell.” The suit says Bell was taken from his wheelchair and ordered to hop more than 60 feet to the cell. When he fell, he was carried face-down. The city attorney’s office says the guards acted appropriately.