Who is Giovanni Loyola? Alabama man loses hand after police handcuffed him too tightly
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: A 26-year-old man was arrested on February 16, 2020, at which time he was reportedly roughed up by the arresting officer. He was restrained with handcuffs that were so tight that he had to surgically remove the hand that was affected.
This man from Alabama has now decided to sue the officer involved in his arrest with a federal civil rights case. He was arrested after an alleged gunfight had been reported to the police on the night of February 16 last year at a Birmingham trailer park, according to the lawsuit and police report.
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Who is Giovanni Loyola?
Giovanni Loyola is a 26-year-old man who lost his hand due to being restrained by an officer in a rough manner. According to a report in the Washington Post, Loyola had to remove parts of his fingers in different surgeries since the incident took place in 2020. Following this, doctors also had to amputate his entire left hand and this has left Loyola desperate.
The federal civil rights complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in the month of April. This complaint claims that Loyola's amputation occurred as a result of the injuries that he had sustained when he was arrested and left for hours in overly tight handcuffs following a disorderly conduct arrest.
Jon Goldfarb, Loyola’s attorney was quoted in the report as saying, "He’s depressed — really depressed. He won’t leave his house." In an interview with AL.com, Loyola who lives in Pinson, just outside Birmingham, said, "It was real painful," and added, "It’s horrible. I don’t wish that pain on nobody. It’s just really unexpected. I have no words for it."
Loyola also said that he had indeed asked the officer for help in loosening the handcuffs but was ignored by the sheriff’s deputies. The lawsuit further stated the officers used excessive force and violated his civil rights. The complaint also recalls how Loyola had been arrested. He was apparently sitting in his mother’s trailer in Pinson and the deputies knocked on his door while watching television.
In a report filed six days later, it noted that Deputy Godber (full name unavailable) along with two other deputies were dispatched to the trailer park where Loyola's mother lived after calls came in regarding gunshots, with reports of two men fighting while unloading and/or loading large weapons. At the time when the incident occurred, Loyola was 25-years-old.
Speaking of the incident Loyola recalled how he had not been involved in any fight, and that his brothers could have been arguing outside the trailer. The complaint stated, "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."
It further added that Loyola was slammed into a car, thrown to the ground, and punched in the face. The complaint also alleges that Deputy Godber pinned Godber to the ground with his knee on Loyola’s back. When Loyola explained that he had done nothing, Godber allegedly said “(he) doesn’t know how to be f**king quiet."
On February 22, the report filed by Deputy Godber to the magistrate recalls a different narrative. In this report, it stated, "Giovanni Loyola was intoxicated and arguing with family members so loud inside his residence it could be heard from the public roadway," adding, "Dep. Godber tried to detain Loyola where he immediately became combative pushing Dep. Godber away."