Crime & Safety
Saudi Prince Put Security Guard In Headlock In Beverly Hills: Lawsuit
The temporary security guard required spinal surgery after the incident, the lawsuit states.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – A man hired as temporary security for a Saudi prince is suing the royal family member for allegedly putting him in a violent headlock in Beverly Hills, causing the plaintiff to require spinal surgery. Martin Bertucci filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court Friday against Prince Khalid Bin Faisal Bin Sultan Bin Abdulazia Al Saud, and alleges negligence, assault, battery and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Also named as defendants are Bertucci's employer, Amgroup Inc., and Midwell Estates Holding Co., which co-owns the home where the prince lives, according to the complaint. Representatives for the defendants could not be immediately reached for comment on the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.
The complaint states that Bertucci, an Air Force veteran, has been employed in the private security sector for 12 years. His military background gives him experience in protecting high-profile individuals, according to his complaint.
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In the fall of 2016, Bertucci relocated to California to provide security for the prince because the royal family member's regular detail was taking time off, the suit states.
Bertucci alleges he was at the wheel and had just pulled into the driveway of the prince's Mulholland Drive home when the prince placed the plaintiff in a headlock last Nov. 17. Bertucci resisted and the prince's actions placed both men in danger, but the defendant refused to release his grip and the plaintiff felt "instant pain running down his neck and into his upper extremities and body," the suit states.
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Bertucci suffered a cervical-spinal injury and underwent surgery, according to his lawsuit, which says his injury has hurt him physically and also damaged his employability.
Amgroup should have known that the prince was "unstable and dangerous" to those around him, but did not advise Bertucci, the suit alleges.
City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock
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