A schizophrenic man suffered a broken neck and other fractures when two Winooski cops wrestled him to the ground in his apartment building, he alleges in a lawsuit. The officers then lied to responding EMTs, the suit alleges, claiming that the man, Marc White, had run from them after a bar fight an d fell on the sidewalk. The suit was filed in Chittenden Superior Court earlier this month and seeks unspecified damages on behalf of White, who was 54 at the time of the February 2025 arrest. The complaint accuses former Winooski detective Marcus Willingham and Sgt. Michael McCormack of excessive force and improper detention. It says they needlessly escalated what should have been a routine call involving a man whose mental health history was well known to the department. Winooski’s city manager, Elaine Wang, and chief of police, Justin Huizenga, both declined to comment. McCormack did not respond to an email. Neither did Willingham, who now works as a special agent with Homeland Security. The lawsuit says White has lived in Winooski for three decades in an apartment that’s about a tenth of a mile from the police department, and he was out and about in the Onion City routinely. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a teenager, and his mental illness was known to Winooski police. He’d sometimes visit the department when he’d lock himself out of his apartment building or needed to use the phone, the lawsuit says. Police interacted with him at least twice in the months leading up to the confrontation. In November 2024, officers performed a welfare check at the request of his family, who hadn’t heard from him on Thanksgiving; he told police his phone was broken. In early January 2025, an employee at a nearby restaurant called to report that White — whom she knew to have mental health issues — was outside his apartment building, yelling. He was back inside by the time officers arrived and did not answer the door when they knocked. On February 27, 2025, a Papa Frank’s employee called 911 to ask that White, a regular there, be warned he was no longer welcome. White had assaulted a waitress, the employee told a 911 call-taker, and was pacing outside the building. Willingham arrived first. He got out of his cruiser and started “running aggressively” toward White, the lawsuit says, prompting him to flee toward his apartment building, about 200 feet away. White entered the building’s vestibule and tried to close the door, but Willingham forced his way in and took White to the ground, according to the legal claim. McCormack caught up moments later, and a struggle ensued, lasting more than two minutes. The cops pinned his arms to the floor with their body weight. Willingham wrote in a police report that he delivered a forearm strike to White’s head, the suit says. The lawsuit estimates that the two cops are about 6 feet tall, with Willingham weighing well over 200 pounds. White, meanwhile, stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. The lawsuit references a report that White’s attorney obtained from the St. Michael’s Fire and Rescue Squad, which allegedly shows that Willingham told EMTs the blood on White’s face was the result of his fall on the sidewalk. Footage taken from Willingham’s body camera contradicted that claim, the complaint says, showing White’s face was uninjured when he entered the apartment vestibule. The footage does not clearly show the struggle, however, according to the lawsuit. McCormack’s bodycam, meanwhile, was not turned on until after White was in custody. Footage taken at that point shows White with blood running down his face. He can be heard repeatedly asking the officers to let him go, the lawsuit says, referring to himself in the third person, saying “we’re scared” and “we didn’t do it.” “When you try to reach for my gun, that’s what you get,” Willingham responded, according to the lawsuit. “I didn’t!” White shouted. Seven Days’ request for the footage and related police reports is pending with Winooski police. Doctors at the University of Vermont Medical Center determined White had fractures of his ankle, hand and two fingers, in addition to his cervical spine. Surgeons fused his spine and installed hardware to help heal his injured ankle and hands. He was discharged in May 2025 and sent home with a neck brace. His hands were also bandaged, making it difficult for him to take care of himself, the lawsuit says. His mental health worsened over the following months. In November 2025, he landed back in the hospital — this time, for psychiatric care. It was the first time since his diagnosis that he’d been hospitalized for mental health reasons, the suit says. After living independently for his entire adult life, White has since been forced to move into an assisted-living facility where he has around-the-clock support, the lawsuit says. Vermont’s statewide use-of-force policy contains a lengthy section dedicated to dealing with people suffering from mental impairment. The policy stresses that gaining control of a suspect isn’t always necessary, especially if the person is not harming themself or others. It encourages officers to consider whether it would be safer to follow up later in a more controlled setting, or to perhaps refer the case to mental health workers. Officers should “slow everything down” and gather as much information as possible, the policy says. The Winooski officers did the exact opposite, the lawsuit alleges. Only after chasing White did Willingham radio dispatch to ask whether the waitress had been injured during the alleged assault, according to the complaint. She hadn’t, and would later tell officers that White, who had seemed to be referring to people who weren’t there, had in fact only thrown a plastic cup at her. The post Man Claims Winooski Police Fractured his Neck, Ankle, Hand and Fingers During Arrest appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less