Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer Maurice Norris was pumping gas at Speedway on the west side when a customer told him a man inside was having a seizure.

Norris rushed in to the convenience store where a woman again said Christopher Knox's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell. She said Knox had slapped the back of her head when she tried to help. Norris found Knox on the floor, awake and breathing.

"Are you OK?" Norris asked. "Do you need medical assistance?"

Knox, police said, cursed and grabbed at the officer. Norris jumped on Knox, fighting to get him in handcuffs for several minutes before backup arrived.

Norris arrested Knox for battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Knox, records show, spent a day in jail before prosecutors dropped the charges.

Knox's family says he was arrested because he has epilepsy.

"When he has seizures, it gets difficult to handle him," Christopher's brother, Jon Knox told IndyStar. "That's still no way to respond to a man having a seizure."

Christopher Knox was suffering an epileptic seizure when his family says Officer Maurice Norris used excessive force and arrested him a Speedway gas station on March 30, 2018. The incident was captured on security video.(Photo: Provided by Jon Knox)

IMPD Chief Bryan Roach said Knox's behavior in that moment appeared to Norris "more consistent with narcotics than a seizure."

The Citizens Police Complaint Board investigated Norris' actions that day and determined he did, indeed, use excessive force. The civilian review panel sustained charges against Norris of conduct unbecoming an officer and using excessive force.

But nothing will come of that recommendation because the one person whose opinion matters — Roach — disagrees.

Instead, Norris will continue on the job and the Knox family will continue to seek justice through a possible civil lawsuit.

A lawyer for the Knox family says IMPD officers were not prepared to deal with people in the throes of a seizure, and that has to change.

"This is not any sort of indictment on IMPD or its intent," said attorney Carl Brizzi, the former two-term Marion County prosecutor.

"If negligent training results in a response that's over the top there ought to be some justice for the person injured."

Christopher Knox, 32, suffered a head injury and started having epileptic seizures about 15 years ago, his brother said. He takes medicine, but Jon Knox said the seizures still come about once a month. He's disabled. His father has power of attorney over him.

The Knox family is preparing a lawsuit, Brizzi said. They intend to file a tort claim notice, the first step in suing a governmental agency, later this month.

"Chris Knox suffers from a medical disability," Brizzi said, "and deserves to be treated with respect."

What happened

The March 30, 2018, incident inside a Speedway gas station on West 10th Street near North Lynhurst Drive was captured on a nearly 11-minute long security video, provided to IndyStar by Jon Knox.

There is also a probable cause affidavit, provided to IndyStar by IMPD, that narrates the officer's view of events. It includes some witness testimony.

The two tell overlapping, yet sometimes divergent stories. The video has no sound. Images come in jumpy pictures, not the smooth motion in typical video. Exact times are difficult to judge.

The video shows Knox collapsing to the floor and bystanders rushing to help.

Norris enters the camera's view several minutes later.

According to the affidavit, Norris was pumping gas when a customer told him a man was suffering a seizure inside the store.

The affidavit says Norris found Knox awake and on the floor of the convenience store. A woman told the officer she was in line behind Knox when he fell to the ground, his eyes rolled back, the affidavit said.

The woman tried to help and told Norris that Knox slapped her on the back of her head, according to the affidavit. This is not apparent in the video. Attempts from IndyStar to contact the woman were unsuccessful.

In the video, Norris appears to talk for a short time before launching himself at Knox's back.

The affidavit said Norris approached Knox "and asked if he (was) OK and if he needed medical assistance. Knox, still on the floor, then stated '(expletive) you, go away.'"

Knox, the affidavit said, started swinging his arms and grabbing at the officer's leg. IMPD Lt. Jim Cleek said in an email to IndyStar that Norris and witnesses told investigators Knox punched Norris in the leg. This is not clearly visible in the video and was not mentioned in either the affidavit or the police report.

The affidavit said Knox refused to put his hands behind his back so "Norris tried to gain compliance by placing Christopher in an upper body restraint."

Knox stands 5-feet, 10-inches and weighs 160 pounds, according to Marion County Jail booking records. In the video, the officer appears to be of similar height and weight.

The two wrestle on the floor then roll out of camera view. Off camera, police say Knox broke free. Norris fired his Taser but it didn't work, the affidavit said.

They return to the camera's view and about three minutes elapse before the first backup officer arrives and Norris and the other officer again tackle Knox.

With the help of a third officer, the video shows Knox being placed in handcuffs.

Medics treated Knox at the scene then took him to Eskenazi Hospital for an evaluation that found no serious injuries. Knox was then taken to jail.

Christopher Knox was suffering an epileptic seizure when his family says Officer Maurice Norris used excessive force and arrested him a Speedway gas station on March 30, 2018. The incident was captured on security video.(Photo: Provided by Jon Knox)

Norris made the best decision he could with the information he had at that time, said Lt. Jim Cleek, a supervisor in IMPD's internal affairs unit and a former commander of training.

"Officer Norris explained his belief at the time as seeing Knox exhibiting signs more consistent with a narcotics reaction rather than a seizure, both of which Officer Norris had experience with as a police officer," Cleek said.

The seizures typically pass in a few minutes, Ryan Keys, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation's Indiana Chapter, told IndyStar.

“They should not be restrained,” Keys said. “The only thing you do is put yourself between them and danger.”

The Epilepsy Foundation's training guidelines are taught in every recruit class, said Cleek. Officers also get training in dealing with people suffering mental health issues, he said.

Norris, Cleek said, completed the Foundation's 45-minute course when he was a recruit in 2016.

"IMPD is absolutely at the top of their game when it comes to how we train in our response to metal illness and other situations," Cleek said.

Indianapolis officers are trained to calm emotions and ease the tension with words if possible. But sometimes getting that person help means getting them in handcuffs, Cleek said. Medics won't get close to a person who won't cooperate and appears violent.

"There are times," Cleek said, "when we're dealing with someone that we have to intervene physically."

Excessive force ruling

Board members did not respond to requests for comment. Minutes from the January meeting show members agreed that Norris misused his authority when he arrested Knox.

The board voted 6-0 to sustain a charge that Norris committed conduct unbecoming of an officer. They voted 5-1 to sustain a second charge, finding Norris violated arrest procedures by committing battery upon Knox. One board member abstained from both votes.

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Roach said internal affairs investigators found that Norris did the best he could with what information he knew at the time. Knox had slapped a customer who tried to help, swore and tried to grab the officer, Roach said.

Melissa L. Coxey, a lawyer for IMPD, declined to release the internal affairs report on the incident.

The Citizens' Police Complaint Board is a layer of civilian oversight for complaints against police. The panel reviews formal complaints against IMPD officers. The board's nine voting members can uphold the internal affairs findings or ask the police chief to revise the decision.

Severe discipline is administered by the chief and reviewed by a separate panel, the seven-member civilian merit board.

In this case, internal affairs agreed that Knox was reasonable in his use of force and that he had probable cause to make an arrest.

"The officer made the difficult decision to detain Knox as a result of his aggressive behavior and demeanor more consistent with narcotics than with a seizure," Roach said.

"The unfortunate reality of our work is reasonable use of force is sometimes necessary to ensure the safety of the public."

When asked to describe what exactly led Norris to believe that Knox was on drugs, a spokeswoman referred IndyStar to prior statements.

Norris through a department spokesperson declined IndyStar's request for comment. He received no official discipline. His employment records, provided to IndyStar, are clean.

But sometimes, epilepsy experts explain, police need to understand that those having seizures simply can't be relied upon to help de-escalate a situation.

Those in seizure have no control of their movements or behavior. They may randomly grab objects or people, rattle doors or lash out in other ways that may appear to be purposely confrontational.

Coming out of a seizure, the Epilepsy Foundation said a person often feels dazed and tired as their brain function returns. Some become belligerent, aggressive, upset, scared and unable to communicate.

Police often mistake seizures for intoxication or mental illness, experts say. The Epilepsy Foundation even has a fund that helps cover defense costs and file civil suits for those wrongfully arrested.

"This case illustrates that on any given shift," Brizzi said, "law enforcement may encounter persons having seizures who are confused, and unable to communicate."

Officers, Brizzi said, must know the difference between a person who is violent and someone in a seizure who is dazed and "unknowingly combative."

The Knox family, Brizzi said, intends to file a tort claim notice, the first step in a civil suit, by the end of April.