A disabled man who was tasered and dragged by Syracuse police after he refused to sit down on a Centro bus has filed notice of his intention to sue the city, Centro and Onondaga County.

Brad Hulett told a reporter he needed to stand on the bus May 3 because a back injury made sitting difficult. That day, the bus driver and his supervisor told him there was a safety issue with him standing. Police were called. A Centro surveillance video obtained by Hulett's lawyer shows how police removed Hulett from the bus. Hulett broke his hip during the incident. He was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

An article Thursday about the incident drew hundreds of comments from syracuse.com readers. Here are some excerpts:

From justcantbleave: There are so many ways to look at this, we all have our thoughts and comments. But to drag him by the ankle across the parking lot was uncalled for . . . and if that is what broke his hip, well then, I'm going to say the police were wrong. Just listen to the people on the bus. You can hear in their voices he is being mistreated. I can understand it's possible the driver was looking out for his safety and that's why the police were called. Dragging was uncalled for. This video was hard to watch. Hardened criminals are not treated this bad! Which could be part of the reason why our crime rate is so high!

From modelflier: Simple answer, obey and respect the bus driver and police officer. If it's a problem, save it for the judge.

From IwishITcouldBE1950FOREVER: Wrong. He has a right to be told by the officers why he is being detained or removed from the bus. They failed to uphold that right. Then they used unnecessary and excessive force. He will win and it will cost the city a lot of money that could've been better spent.

From soitsays: Wrong. The bus driver told him to sit or to get off. The police told him to get off, at the direction of the bus driver, and that is all one needs to know. The bus is private property and the owner/operator of said property does not need to tell you why you are being asked to leave.

From villagegirl68: I just have one simple question. Why is it OK to stand on the bus when it's full?

From Ghettogriz: I'm not one for frivolous lawsuits but I hope this man gets every penny he can. There was no excuse for this response.



Do you think police should have handled the matter differently? How about Hulett? Please leave a comment below.