CLEVELAND, Ohio — A former supervisor of the Cuyahoga County sheriff’s Downtown Safety Patrol unit permanently injured an unarmed motorist during a routine traffic stop, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed Monday.

The complaint, filed by Kevin Kinds in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, says then-Sgt. Timothy Coyne tackled him, punched him in the face and tased him three times on Dec. 8, 2023.

Body camera footage obtained last year by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer showed Coyne slam Kinds, 48, to the pavement, punch him and point a gun in his face. Coyne also fired his Taser three times at Kinds within 40 seconds, according to the footage.

The Downtown Safety Patrol, now known as the Community Support Unit , has faced intense public scrutiny this year following two high-

See Full Page