BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A civil lawsuit filed by the family of Glenn Foster Jr. for the wrongful death of the former Saints defensive end claims he was lethally brutalized while in custody of the Pickens County Sherriff’s Office on Dec. 6, 2021.
The 31-year-old's death came just two days after police in Reform, Alabama, arrested him following an alleged high-speed police chase on Highway 82 that culminated in a crash. Reform police immediately turned Foster over to the custody of the PCSO.
According to the complaint filed by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, the brutality began upon arrest when Foster was allegedly wrestled to the ground with his head slamming against the concrete.
From there PCSO deputies supposedly Tased, struck, beat and choked Foster repeatedly, resulting in his death.
Item 38 of the lawsuit claims Foster was tortured for more than 24 hours at Pickens County Jail. The defendants are accused of strapping Foster to a chair before stripping him naked and Tasing him repeatedly. Ultimately, Foster is said to have been choked to the point of unconsciousness which is believed to have contributed to his untimely death while being transported to Northport Medical Center in Northport, Ala.
While in custody, WWL Louisiana obtained court documents revealing Foster allegedly attacked a sleeping inmate in an attempt to steal the inmate's socks. Documents further stated that "shortly after assaulting another inmate," Foster then allegedly got into a fight with a deputy and correction officer trying to handcuff him, causing the deputy to get a cut to his nose and left hand.
Jail records show that the allegations led the PCSO to re-book Foster on three counts of assault and one count of third-degree robbery.
Foster's family admitted that he had been balancing a decade-old bipolar diagnosis while forging careers in the NFL and as a business owner in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Even at an imposing and formidable 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, upon taking the case Crump said he would not let police use Foster's NFL size to justify his death.
"The fact is that he was subdued in handcuffs and posed no risk. There is no reason why he was alive in police custody and sixteen minutes later he was dead," Crump said. "We will not rest until we get answers and justice for Glenn Foster Jr. and his distraught family.”
The complete civil complaint filed can be viewed in the PDF reader below:
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