Lawsuit alleges Las Vegas corrections officer used racial slur, broke man’s wrist

A recently filed lawsuit alleges that a Las Vegas correctional officer used a racial slur and excessive force that led to a man getting his wrist broken while in detention at the Clark County Detention Center in 2024.

In a 10-page complaint filed in Clark County District Court on Monday, Xavier Tate alleged he was subjected to an unreasonable strip search; called a “n——r;” and threatened with physical harm from Metropolitan Police Department corrections officer Nchong Enokenwa during separate bookings on Nov. 3 and Nov. 23, 2024.

Las Vegas Justice Court records show Tate was charged with making a false statement to obstruct a public officer, along with DUI and participating in a speed contest separate cases that started on those dates.

The lawsuit names Metro and Enokenwa in his individual capacity as defendants. A Metro spokesperson said the agency did not comment on pending litigation and did not answer whether Enokenwa’s alleged conduct was investigated or if the department will be providing him with legal resources. The case file as of Tuesday had not yet named an attorney for either defendant.

Tate is seeking compensatory damages for physical injury, special damages and emotional distress, as well as other damages deemed acceptable by the court in excess of $15,000, according to the complaint. In an emailed statement, Tate’s attorney, Adam Breeden of Breeden & Associates, said Tate’s case is the second his office is litigating against Enokenwa, and they will likely seek hundreds of thousands in total compensation.

“Mr. Tate’s case is representative of many calls we are receiving lately about the Clark County Detention Center and excessive force used by Corrections Officers there,” Breeden wrote, adding that detainees are at the “absolute mercy” of corrections officers. “People at the Detention Center are mostly people who have not been convicted of any crime. These are not hardened criminals doing time. Many people picked up for minor offenses and charges that will eventually be dropped.”

Breeden continued: “In Mr. Tate’s case not only was he unnecessarily called a racial slur and subjected to a strip search, but he was treated so roughly while in handcuffs that his wrist was broken. It’s absolutely unacceptable for people to be treated this way at the Detention Center.”

‘Let’s see how long you last this time’

The lawsuit does not specify the dates of Enokenwa’s alleged misconduct but notes Enokenwa was assigned to process Tate on both occasions.

During one instance, while Tate was handcuffed, Enokenwa allegedly contorted Tate’s hands behind his body in a way that caused pain, to the point that Tate suffered a broken right wrist, according to the complaint. Tate — who said that “at all times” he was compliant and non-confrontational with Enokenwa’s orders — sought medical attention following his release and was diagnosed with an acute triquetral fracture in his wrist, along with “other physical and emotional injuries,” the lawsuit said.

The complaint alleges Tate was “strip-searched, thrown in a cell, and left with no clothing for an extended period of time unreasonably,” but it does not specify for how long. The second time Tate was arrested is when Enokenwa used the slur on Tate and told him, “Let’s see how long you last this time,” among other comments perceived as vague threats, according to the complaint.

Tate, via his attorneys, alleged an internal investigation determined no wrongdoing and that Enokenwa was in compliance with the department’s use of force policies.

Tate’s lawsuit also alleges Enokenwa was involved in another incident in July 2024 in which he threw a man to the ground and gave him a “serious” head laceration that resulted in profuse bleeding.

The lawsuit also alleged three other instances of excessive force by other officers at CCDC since 2023 and asserted the implementation of such force had become so pervasive that some correctional officers would refer to it as “the treatment” when needed to be used on a detainee.

Those incidences and others illustrate a pattern where excessive force is used on detainees, but investigations into excessive force are not taken seriously, or are cleared of wrongdoing, the lawsuit alleged.

The collective action also “amounts to a deliberate indifference to the constitutional rights of pre-trial detainees to be free of excessive force by corrections officers” at CCDC, the lawsuit said.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X. or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.