Lawsuits claim Meriden police brutality, cover-up

MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) - Two men taken into custody by Meriden police last year have filed federal lawsuits accusing Officer Evan Cossette of brutality and his father, Police Chief Jeffry Cossette, of covering up the alleged misconduct.

The lawsuits were filed Wednesday by Pedro Temich and Robert Methvin.

Temich says he suffered a serious head injury when Evan Cossette pushed him while he was handcuffed in a police department jail cell and he fell on a concrete bench. Methvin says he also suffered a serious head injury when Evan Cossette used excessive force on him during an arrest.

The lawsuits also claim Jeffry Cossette and other department officials covered up or ignored the alleged wrongdoing.

State prosecutors, the FBI and an independent investigator hired by the city are looking into the allegations