Excessive force by police claimed

A man who says he was injured by Seattle police in a 2007 incident at a drive-in restaurant has filed state and federal lawsuits alleging "a pattern of excessive force and police misconduct" in the Seattle department.

The lawsuits say Dewoyne Lowe suffered a concussion and severe face cuts from police who knocked him to the ground outside the Queen Anne Dick's Drive-In after Lowe and a companion argued with a security guard about whether the restaurant was open.

Lowe's attorney, John Kannin, said one of the officers accused of punching his client is Officer Camilo DePina. Kannin says DePina is among the officers seen standing by in a videotape of a recent racially charged incident in which a Latino man was beaten by another police officer. That incident is under investigation by the FBI.

Lowe's lawsuits, filed in King County Superior Court and U.S. District Court, allege that DePina knocked down Lowe face first in the drive-in parking lot and later slammed Lowe's head into a counter at a police station.

A second officer, Christopher Christman, is named in the lawsuits as assisting in the attack against Lowe.

Kannin said Lowe required treatment at Harborview Medical Center for his injuries, which included a laceration to his brow that took 12 stitches to close.

Renee Witt, Seattle police spokeswoman, said the department would not comment on an active investigation or pending lawsuit.