Houston to pay $200K to truck driver claiming excessive force by police

Former truck driver Nicolas Watson ﻿stands between his two attorneys ﻿ after filing lawsuit against two HPD officers who beat him as he arrived home from work. ﻿ Former truck driver Nicolas Watson ﻿stands between his two attorneys ﻿ after filing lawsuit against two HPD officers who beat him as he arrived home from work. ﻿ Photo: James Nielsen, Staff Photo: James Nielsen, Staff Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Houston to pay $200K to truck driver claiming excessive force by police 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

The city of Houston will pay $200,000 to a truck driver who said Houston police officers attacked him while searching for a burglary suspect five years ago, causing post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries from a chokehold and punching

The city council approved the settlement with Nicolas Watson and his attorneys on Wednesday. Watson had sued the city in 2015, alleging Houston police officers Felipe Gallegos Jr. and Ricardo Eduardo Perez used excessive force in the 2013 incident.

Watson claimed he was returning home about 2 a.m. when the officers jumped out of an unmarked vehicle and confronted him in his driveway with their guns drawn. One officer placed Watson in a chokehold and began "suffocating" him, the suit alleged, while another kicked him in the head, causing unconsciousness.

Watson’s lawsuit stated he had been unable to work since suffering numerous serious injuries including eyeball hemorrhages, a concussion, headaches and muscle spasms.