Mother Upset NLRPD Cuffed Disabled Son During Seizure

A North Little Rock mother wants answers after her disabled son was handcuffed during a seizure.

It happened Monday at 14th and Main. An officer on patrol found 23-year-old Geoffrey Sartor seizing on the sidewalk and called an ambulance.

Sartor says he went out that morning to get a green tea from a gas station two blocks from his home.

"I've been drinking it since I was little," Sartor said. "It can be any type of green tea, but it's gotta be green tea."

Sartor says he grabbed a drink in the store's cooler when he started to feel strange.

"The last thing I remember doing is getting to the gas pumps" Satror said.

What the man didn't realize, was he only made it half a block from the store when he collapsed on the sidewalk, and went into convulsions.

North Little Rock Police Spokesperson Brian Dedrick says paramedics tried to strap Sartor down, but he seized so powerfully broke the restraints.

"In this particular case, it took three people to restrain this individual," Dedrick said.

Jane Benfield, Sartor's mother, says her son suffers from seizures because of a car accident two years ago that did serious skull and brain damage. So she was horrified when she arrived at the scene.

"I didn't really know why the ambulance was rocking, but it was absolutely making my heart race," Benfield said.

But she was even more upset when she found out her son, still seizing and convulsing, had been handcuffed.

"I think they definitely need better training," Benefield said. "It's not a reason to put handcuffs on somebody."

Sartor points to the cuts and scrapes on his forearms where the handcuffs cut into his skin.  Pictures taken by his mother the day before show redness and swelling.

Dedrick says paramedics asked them to cuff Sartor, and did for his own safety, and the safety of the medical crew.

"It's unfortunate, because when someone's sick, we want to help," Dedrick said.

But Benfield says there's other ways to restrain someone during a seizure.

"I mean, honestly, throwing your body over him is a much, much better choice than metal," Benfield said. "Especially if there's men, five grown men."

Sartor still loves green tea, but it's going to be a while before his cravings overcome his fear.

"I told my mom and my brother I don't feel comfortable walking by myself," Sartor said.