Lawsuit claims EPD officers used excessive force in 2023 arrest

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - A traffic stop on Riverside Drive nearly two years ago is now the subject of a lawsuit filed against Evansville Police.

The complaint alleges officers used excessive force during a traffic stop on July 18, 2023. According to an affidavit, police pulled over Trequinn Starks and Quinnyra Wilson for speeding and turning from the wrong lane.

The affidavit says when officers got to the driver’s window, Starks told officers it wasn’t his car, he didn’t know who’s car it was, and appeared nervous.

That’s when officers asked Starks to get out of the car. The affidavit says Starks asked for a reason, and officers told him they didn’t need a reason.

According to the affidavit, officers used “slight force” to pull Starks out of the car and onto the ground. That moment is captured on the bodycam recording, shared with us by Starks’ and Wilson’s lawyer, Jeremy Schnepper.

Once Starks was on the ground, officers say they saw a loaded magazine fall underneath him.

“I didn’t do nothing,” Starks can be heard yelling in the bodycam video as officer attempt to put handcuffs on him.

“If you reach for the gun I will f***ing shoot you,” an officer can be heard shouting at Starks, while the officer has a gun pointed at his head.

In the video, Starks yells multiple times that he does not have a gun.

It wasn’t until later, after Starks was held at gunpoint and put into handcuffs, that officers realized the magazine wasn’t his, and that Starks was not armed.

The affidavit states, “It was found that the magazine was an officer’s that was ripped out during the altercation.”

The lawsuit claims officers used excessive force when they threw Starks to the ground and held a gun to his head.

After Starks is in handcuffs, the bodycam video shows officers pin Wilson against the car, and place her in handcuffs.

Then Wilson is heard screaming. The lawsuit claims officers dislocated her shoulder. They claim that was also an excessive use of force.

In addition to excessive force, the lawsuit claims officers unreasonably seized, assaulted, battered and injured Starks and Wilson, violating their 4th amendment rights.

It’s asking for a jury trial for the three officers involved — Taz Cassidy, Kyle Dennis and Cole Miles — along with compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.

Starks was arrested after this encounter. All charges against him were dropped last year after court records show the state could not provide witnesses.

We reached out to Evansville police for comment on the lawsuit. They declines, since it’s active litigation. That is the department’s policy for any lawsuit filed against them.

You can read the full lawsuit by clicking HERE.

Copyright 2025 WFIE. All rights reserved.