University of Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA – The family of a Pennsylvania man who died after a University of Pennsylvania police officer shot him with a taser has filed a civil rights lawsuit.
Ronald Harmon collapsed and struck his head on cement during a confrontation on Nov. 5, 2024, on Spruce Street in Philadelphia, and the lawsuit says officers violated safety protocols after they observed him taking a small package from the foyer of a building.
A foot-chase ensured, during which Harmon tossed the package. He was unarmed, the suit says, but officers overreacted and hit him with the taser in the back while he was running.
Officer James Squadrini violated policies that say tasers should not be used on unarmed suspects wanted for non-violent misdemeanors, the suit says. It was filed by noted civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and Gregg Zeff, who held a press event Oct. 19 at the Philadelphia NAACP to announce the case.
Harmon died from the impact to his head on Jan. 9, 2025. “The manner of death is recorded as Homicide,” the suit says. “At the time of the incident it was foreseeable that firing a taser at Harmon would cause serious injury or death.”
The complaint says a reasonably trained officer would have known that tasers can cause a person to lose voluntary muscle control and fall without the ability to brace themselves. Before using one, an officer must consider the severity of the offense that is suspected, whether the person is armed and whether the person has threatened anyone, the suit says.
UPenn’s directive on use of force states it is policy to use “only the amount of force that is reasonable and necessary.” It includes de-escalation and medical aid requirements as well.
Taser rules say their use should be “limited to persons who are violent, actively aggressive, threatening, physically resisting arrest, or actively resisting in a manner likely to cause injury.”
None of those applied to Harmon, the lawsuit says, as he was not physically threatening anyone else during the chase.
The suit makes claims for excessive force, battery, assault, failure to train/supervise/discipline and unconstitutional practices.
