Vietnam vet involved in altercation with Oilton officer files federal lawsuit

OILTON, Okla. — Willard Walbridge, the elderly man who was involved in an altercation with a police officer, has filed a federal lawsuit against the officer and the City of Oilton.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Northern District of Oklahoma, accuses ex-officer Joe Beers and the City of Oilton of civil rights violations, negligence, assault and battery, and unlawful trespassing.

The lawsuit accuses the City of Oilton of failing to train Beers properly and of negligence for hiring Beers.

Body-cam video posted by the Oilton Police Department shows the scuffle between Walbridge and then-officer Joe Beers back in March. What started as an unrelated police call ended with Walbridge on the ground.

The Oilton City Council accepted Beers’ resignation on April 9.

The lawsuit requests a judgment of $75,000 in federal claims for damages.