A man at the center of an Antioch police text messaging scandal said he was already unconscious when an officer kicked him.
Trent Allen, who is awaiting trial at the Martinez Detention Facility, spoke exclusively to NBC Bay Area during a Tuesday jailhouse interview. Police refer to Allen in text messages revealed as part of a federal investigation, including a message from an officer bragging "I field goal kicked his head."
Officers in the alleged text messages repeatedly discussed Allen's 2021 arrest on murder charges.
Allen in an interview with NBC Bay Area recalled the events leading up to his arrest.
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"They shot me with a muzzle in my neck," Allen said. "They slammed me on my head and that knocked me unconscious. And then they kicked me to wake me back up to do it over and over."
Allen said after his arrest officers used racial slurs. He was taken to a hospital and officers allegedly began texting each other photos of his injuries.
When asked if he remembered anything about the officers while he was hospitalized, Allen said "basically them laughing in a group, joking while I'm in pain."
Allen is now one of several plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the Antioch Police Department that was filed last week by John Burris, a civil rights attorney.
Since announcing the lawsuit, Burris said dozens of people have come forward with other potential cases against the department.
"The most common complaint is being stopped for no reason and searched," Burris said. "Money is taken, and drugs are taken."
Antioch police has placed more than half a dozen officers on leave and said the case is being investigated by independent investigators.
Contra Costa County is also adding more attorneys to both the district attorney's and public defender's offices to review hundreds of cases involving the officers to see if race played a factor and if the cases should be dismissed. Allen's case is among those that could impacted as a result of the text messages.
"I'm kind of like traumatized - like who can I call for help? I can't call the police at this point," Allen said. "They're trying to kill us."
