Medical technician files lawsuit against OHP trooper

Maurice White, Jr. claims his civil rights were violated by trooper Daniel Martin, whose actions remain under review by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Martin, 37, stopped White's ambulance on U.S. 62. He said the driver, Paul Franks, made an obscene gesture when the trooper tried to pass with his lights and sirens on.

With a patient in the ambulance, Martin and White became engaged in an escalating, physical altercation that was captured on two videos and viewed nationwide on the Internet. The lawsuit alleges, "Martin had no right or reason to arrest Mr. White who was discharging his fiduciary obligation to his patient, who had committed no crime and who had offered to submit to arrest at the hospital."

The lawsuit further claims, "Martin used unreasonable force in his seizing of Mr. White" by "throttling him by the neck with his hand." The court document also describes Martin's actions as "deliberate, reckless, wanton and/or cruel ..."

Martin is the only party listed on the suit.