WATCH: Ben Quarles arrest video goes viral as man files federal lawsuit against Minden Police officers

On February 1, 2022, Ben Quarles got into an accident at the intersection of Pine and Main Streets in downtown Minden. According to reports, he was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. Instead of offering him help, police officers ordered him to exit the car, pepper-sprayed him, and then proceeded to arrest him.

Months later, the 58-year-old is seeking justice for the inhuman treatment meted out to him. Attorney Todd Benson, who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Minden Police officers Chris McClaren, Chris Hammontree, Chief Steve Cropper, and the City of Minden on behalf of Ben Quarles, said:

"What happened to Mr. Quarles in my opinion is wrong and should never happen in this country."

Body cam video of the incident obtained by KTAL showed the police officers approaching a rattled Quarles and ordering him to get out of the car. Upon enquiring about the reason for the arrest, officers threatened to pepper spray him. Quarles was heard saying:

"Why am I under arrest? You too close to me!"

At one point, Ben Quarles asks for help to get out of the car. He also asks the unmasked officers to keep some distance from him. However, officer Chris Hammontree can be heard saying:

"Step out the car or you’re going to get pepper sprayed. Get out of the car or you’re going to get sprayed."

The harassment that Quarles went through has left him traumatized. He said:

"I was traumatized, and I’m still in a traumatic situation because I have to play this over in my head day after day."

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Netizens are sending messages of support to Ben Quarles

A Reddit user posted body cam footage of Ben Quarles' arrest on the platform, and it has since gone viral, with a huge number of users commenting and showing support for the victim.

The video was posted on a subreddit called PublicFreakout and was captioned:

"I'm going to state this upfront, this would have never happened to a white man. 58-year-old Ben Quarles was rear-ended, the accident was not his fault, he commented no crime, yet they treated him like this."

Most users have agreed with the caption and have condemned the unjust actions of the police officers.

User togocann49 commented:

"This is absolutely awful. With cops like this, how do folks ever feel safe?"

User svensvenington said:

"They’re not your friends. They’re rarely ever heroes. They can legally lie to you because of qualified immunity. Majority of them have a history of domestic violence. Shall we go on? ACAB!!"

User GetOutOfTheWhey expressed concern for Ben Quarles:

"That is hard to watch. At his age being slammed onto the floor is going to cause physical issues for the rest of his life."

Quarles hopes the lawsuit will expose the unjust actions meted out by police departments.