Army Ranger turned protester sues sheriff

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OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A former U.S. Army Ranger says Oakland police beat him during an Occupy protest and that Alameda County deputies failed to get him medical help in jail.

Kayvan Sabeghi, 33, filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court last month against the County Sheriff's Office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday. He said his spleen was damaged during his arrest in November 2011 but deputies decided he was drunk and taking heroin.

The deputies finally called an ambulance when he was scheduled to be released on bail the next day, court papers say. He was unable to move after a friend put up the bail.

The lawsuit alleges deputies made fun of Sabeghi instead of getting him help, the Oakland Tribune reported Wednesday.

"Later, another county deputy looked into the cell and observed Mr. Sabeghi lying on the floor throwing up," Sabeghi's lawsuit charges. "This deputy taunted Sabeghi by stating, 'Don't do heroin.' He then pointed Mr. Sabeghi out to other inmates and stated, 'see this is why you don't do heroin.'"

The Chronicle said Sgt. J.D. Nelson, a sheriff's spokesman, denied deputies had mistreated Sabeghi or ignored his condition. He said video footage confirms officers acted properly.

"As his conditioned worsened, we got an ambulance there," Nelson said.

Sabeghi served in Iraq and Afghanistan while with the Rangers.