JOPLIN, Mo. — A local man is suing the Joplin Police Department, claiming excessive use of force during his arrest.

Scott Peggram, 37, filed a civil suit in Jasper County, asking for damages saying he was a victim of assault and battery by the Joplin Police officers who arrested him.

In July 2022, Joplin officers say they found Peggram passed out in a vehicle near 24th and Annie Baxter Avenue with the engine running. The officers discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen. They blocked it in with two patrol vehicles, laid out stop-sticks, and used their P.A. system to wake Peggram up.

They say Peggram then rammed the officers’ vehicles, prompting them to fire shots at him, striking him several times. Peggram calls their response “excessive,” and asks for damages in the case of over $25,000.