Clarence Thomas' Nephew Tasered in Hospital Scuffle

I have a feeling that someone's in big, big trouble.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' epileptic nephew suffered a massive seizure after being beaten and hit with a stun gun during a scuffle at a New Orleans area hospital, his family said.

Derek Thomas, 25, was admitted to West Jefferson Hospital on Thursday after what some news outlets described as a possible suicide attempt. When orderlies asked Thomas to put on a hospital gown, he refused and tried to flee the facility. That's when security guards stepped in, and a scuffle ensued. Details were reported by several news agencies.

One of the guards punched Thomas, pulled out his hair and them shocked him with a Taser, the patient's sister, Kimberly Thomas, wrote in an e-mail to ABC News. Because of the fight, Thomas suffered a serious seizure, she said.

"Security contests it was under doctor's orders to Taser Thomas as opposed to sedating him for restraint even after prior knowledge of his epilepsy," the e-mail said.

A hospital spokeswoman told several news outlets that officials are investigating the matter, but that they're unlikely to be able to release details because of patient privacy laws.

The Supreme Court justice is heading to New Orleans to investigate the incident himself, local TV station WDSU reported. It did not give details or timing of his trip. A Supreme Court spokesman said the justice had no comment on the matter.

Kimberly and Derek Thomas' mother, Dora Thomas, told the Washington Post that she picked her son up from the hospital Friday and that he is resting at home. "He's as well as can be expected," she said.

Kimberly Thomas told WDSU that she's "sickened" by the incident. "I'm sickened by it because my brother is a college student and a small business owner who has not been in any trouble," she said. "He's not violent and yet this is how they are treating someone."

Derek Thomas is reportedly a student at Nicholls State College, and is the son of Justice Thomas' younger brother Myer Lee Thomas, who died in 2000.
VIA: AOLNews