A man who was slammed into a refrigerator and punched by a Federal Heights Police Department officer has accused the agency of condoning officer brutality in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver.

Kent Lasnik, 49, is asking for an unspecified amount of damages, saying he was the victim of excessive force because the Federal Heights Police Department failed to train, supervise and discipline its officers.

“The FHPD has a culture of tolerating excessive force by its law enforcement officers,” the lawsuit said.

Lasnik was injured last December during an arrest in which he was strapped into a restraint chair while an officer used pressure-point holds on his neck.

The episode was captured on multiple video cameras, including body cameras worn by two officers.

One officer, Mark Magness, was fired and later pleaded guilty to attempted assault. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay court costs.

However, the lawsuit cites six other cases where Magness was accused of excessive force, including one in 2009 in which the officer was convicted of reckless endangerment after he dislocated a man’s elbow during an on-duty interaction.

The lawsuit also goes after a second officer involved in Lasnik’s arrest, David Romero.

Romero did not physically hurt Lasnik during the arrest, but he swore at him, did not try to stop Magness and then wrote a false police report about the incident, the lawsuit said.

“What Corporal Magness did to Mr. Lasnik on December 6, 2014, was sadistic and inhumane. But the blame for Corporal Magness’s conduct is not his alone,” the lawsuit said. “It is shared by the FHPD, which failed to train, supervise and discipline its officers, rewarded excessive force, and tolerated dishonesty. And it is shared by Officer Romero, who was in a position to stop Corporal Magness but chose instead to approve and encourage the abuse and torture of Mr. Lasnik.”

Efforts to reach Federal Heights police officials Wednesday were unsuccessful.

After Magness pleaded guilty in June, Chief Karl Wilmes, who also is a defendant in the suit, said he could not explain why Magness had not been fired after his first arrest because he was not chief.

But his decision to fire Magness came after fellow officers reported the incident with Lasnik.

Lasnik’s arrest last December came after an incident at a liquor store where he threw a bottle at a clerk.

Video footage starts as a patrol car pulls into a bay at a police station. Lasnik was lying handcuffed and face down in the back of a patrol car and he told officers he needed help getting out of the car.

Magness dragged Lasnik out of the car, stood him up and then pulled him toward an entrance. That’s when Lasnik was thrown against a refrigerator, which left a gash on his chin.

Lasnik was accused of taking a swing at Magness while inside a holding cell. Magness jumped on Lasnik and pummeled him with his fists.

Magness also shoved a restraint chair across the booking room and sent a garbage can careening.

While Romero strapped Lasnik into the chair, Magness held him by his temples.

At one point, Lasnik said, “Ow.” Magness responded, “No, this is ‘Ow,’ ” as he drove his fingers into a soft spot behind Lasnik’s jaw.

Romero was seen motioning to Magness, an apparent attempt to remind him that their body cameras were rolling.

The incident shows how body cameras can provide a more complete perspective of police actions, said Matthew Cron, an attorney at the Rathod Mohamedbhai Law Firm, which represents Lasnik.

After the incident, Lasnik was charged with assault of a peace officer. However, that charge was dropped and Magness was charged.

“Let’s imagine this situation in a world without body cameras,” Cron said. “Without this video, he is convicted. He has no chance.”

Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or @Noelle_Phillips