Inmate who was beaten in back of patrol car in Arkansas has filed federal lawsuit

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An inmate who was beaten by an Arkansas police officer in the back of a patrol car filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the former officer and his police chief, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights.

Attorneys for Billy Lee Coram filed the lawsuit against former Jonesboro police officer Joseph Harris, Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott and the city of Jonesboro over the Aug. 8 beating. Harris was fired after he was caught on his patrol car camera punching, elbowing and slamming a car door against the head of Coram, who was being transferred from a local hospital back to the county jail.

“Jonesboro Chief of Police Rick Elliott knew he had a ticking time bomb in Officer Harris yet unleashed him on the City of Jonesboro knowing he was set to explode,” Michael Kiel Kaiser, who filed the lawsuit with attorney Mike Laux in federal court, said in a news release. “No matter what Mr. Coram has allegedly done, under no circumstance is the violent rage inflicted on him by Officer Harris ever acceptable.”

Jonesboro Police released video of the video and announced Harris’ firing in August. Elliott said he had reviewed the video after receiving a complaint from the county sheriff’s office about the incident.

Elliott did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Jonesboro City Attorney Carol Duncan said the city had not been served yet, but does not comment on pending litigation. A number was not listed for Harris.

In the video, Coram is wearing a hospital gown and choking himself with a seatbelt wrapped his neck as the car is moving in the roughly 12-minute video. After the car pulls over, Harris opens the door and punches and elbows Coram several times in the face as he unwinds the belt.

Harris later slams the car door against Coram’s head. According to the lawsuit, Coram had been taken to the hospital after ingesting a baggie of fentanyl and had run away from the hospital when he panicked. He had wrapped the seatbelt around his neck to try and gag himself to dislodge the fentanyl he believed was still in his system, the lawsuit said.

“In the moment, I thought he was going to kill me. I’ve dealt with a lot of cops, but never one as vicious as Officer Harris," Coram said in a statement released by his attorneys. “He was stone cold; he didn’t say nothing and was just hellbent on punishing me.”

Elliott last month referred the case to local prosecutors. The Craighead County prosecutor did not immediately return a call on Tuesday.

The lawsuit claims that Elliott knew Harris had an “established and well-known employment history of using excessive force, engaging in deceptive practices and making threats against law-abiding citizens.” They include his use of excessive force during an arrest when he worked off-duty at a night club in 2022.

Coram said in a statement that he's in constant pain from the beating. Coram is being held in the Poinsett County jail on an escape charge, but a court date had not been set yet.