PROVIDENCE (WPRI) – A Pawtucket man has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Providence, accusing officers of "unlawfully" arresting him in 2023 after he suffered a seizure while working as an Uber driver. The 12-count lawsuit, filed Tuesday at U.S. District Court in Providence, seeks $2 million in damages, accusing the defendants of negligence, unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution, civil rights violations, and failure to properly train officers. The lawsuit stems from an incident in August 2023, when Tahj Eddington suffered a seizure while working as an Uber driver, according to the lawsuit. His car hopped the curb on Broad Street in Providence and hit a storefront. Police body-worn camera video shows when officers arrived, Eddington’s hands were stiff with his arms outstretched while sitting behind the wheel of his car. He appeared disoriented when police tried to talk to him. The Uber passenger told police that he saw Eddington suddenly get stiff, describing his arms as outstretched and shaking, before getting into the accident. “Oh OK, so he had a seizure,” one of the officers said on the recording. Rather than call for medical help, the lawsuit alleges the officers “violently attempted to place the plaintiff into handcuffs and to take him into custody.” “While the defendants were attempting to get handcuffs on the plaintiff, he was screaming ‘I can’t breathe. Get off of me. Get off, I can’t breathe. Stop you are killing me. Stop I am gonna die. Help me. Stop. Let me go,’” according to the lawsuit. Police eventually drove Eddington to the hospital in a cruiser, and the video shows when they opened the door to bring him to the emergency department, Eddington – who was in handcuffs – fell onto the pavement face first. The lawsuit said he suffered a broken bone and facial lacerations. The incident generated news coverage, with some community leaders calling for the release of the police video. According to the lawsuit, Eddington received a call from Providence Police Col. Oscar Perez two days after the incident, asking to meet. “Defendant Perez cautioned the plaintiff that a release of the recordings could be embarrassing for him,” the lawsuit states. Josh Estrella, a spokesperson for Mayor Brett Smiley, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation. Eddington was charged with two misdemeanor counts, but the charges were eventually dropped. In the joint statement at the time, Smiley and Perez said the incident had been reviewed and it was determined that the officers followed the appropriate use-of-force protocols, though one of them was disciplined for excessive profanity. Along with the city, the police department and Perez, the lawsuit names patrolmen Manuel Vlaun, Andrew Brodeur, Michael Sullivan, and two unnamed officers as defendants. The federal complaint alleges the city “grossly failed to train its police officers.” “Defendant City of Providence and Defendant Colonel Perez ratified the behavior of the Defendant Officers by failing to discipline them and by engaging in a policy of charging persons experiencing a medical emergency,” the lawsuit states. Eddington is represented by attorneys Bethany Macktaz and Lisa Holley. Eddington and Macktaz declined to comment when reached by phone. Eddington is no longer driving for the ride share company. Tim White ([email protected]) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.