traffic stop
A Michigan man has alleged that police used excessive force on him during a 2016 traffic stop. A police car is pictured on Mar. 4, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. Win McNamee/Getty Images

A man in Southern Michigan has filed a lawsuit against local police accusing officers of using excessive force two years ago during an arrest outside of his mother’s home.

Cody Meredith was pulled over by police in Taylor, Michigan, around 2:30 a.m. on Mar. 29, 2016 for a traffic violation in which he claims officers beat him and used a Taser.

According to police who responded on scene, Meredith maintained a speed of 35 MPH in a 25 MPH zone and failed to signal while heading into his mother’s driveway. He "breaked heavily in order to not run a stop sign," an officer wrote in a police report.

Police tailed Meredith’s car and approached the man when he stopped and turned off his ignition.

"I stopped at a stop sign, and they followed me home from there," Meredith said, according to WDIV, an NBC affiliate in Detriot. He filed a federal lawsuit against the officers and the department for $70,000 in damages. Meredith was hospitalized for injuries he sustained that night.

The alleged incident was recorded via police dash cam video. Audio began recording as Meredith stepped out of his car.

"At that point, in my mind, I'm thinking, 'Why did I get stopped? Why did I get followed home when they could have pulled me over before I got to my home?'" Meredith said.

"I was being choked. I was being beaten. I was in handcuffs being kicked in my face. There was a lot of stuff going on."

Police claim Meredith, who was 18 years old at the time, resisted arrest, which prompted them to attempt to subdue him. But the young man, who is black, maintains that police used unnecessary force because of his ethnicity.

"They're police officers," Meredith said. "I'm a black male. That answers the question. They're going to do and say what they can to protect themselves."

Meredith said he hoped what he experienced that night will not happen to anyone else. Police charged him with drug possession and two counts of assaulting a police officer. However, he had a medical marijuana card, which negated the drug charge.