Story highlights Pele Smith's lawsuit accuses Lorain, Ohio, police of excessive use of force

Police deny Smith's allegations, say video "does not tell the complete story"

(CNN) Pele Smith is suing the Lorain Police Department in Ohio, alleging use of excessive force after an encounter with an officer in 2014 ended with his face getting smashed into a cruiser windshield so hard the glass broke.

Dashboard camera footage from Lorain police released this week shows an officer leading Smith to a police cruiser. The 32-year-old was detained on suspicion of jaywalking and potential possession of drugs, Lorain police said.

In the video, as Smith gets closer to the vehicle, his body abruptly shifts paths, and his face is slammed into the front windshield. The officer is out of the camera's view right before Smith's face meets the windshield.

"I know it doesn't look good," Lorain Police Capt. Roger Watkins said. "But our intention wasn't for him to hit the windshield."

Smith filed the lawsuit in August, nearly two years after the incident.

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