Edmon Burns filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming Maplewood and St. Louis police violated his civil rights by beating and kicking him at the end of a vehicle chase broadcast live by a TV news helicopter last year.

The federal suit claims one officer shouted, "We're going to teach you not to run!" as Burns was beset by four officers in an open lot in St. Louis after a 20-minute pursuit through rush-hour traffic Jan. 30, 2006.

Burns, 34, of north St. Louis County, says in the suit that he had fled Maplewood police that day in fear. He seeks damages of more than $75,000, plus punitive damages and attorney's fees.

The four accused officers — Adam McIntyre, John DeBisschop and Sgt. David Arnett of Maplewood, and Ray Knight of St. Louis — are named in the suit along with the cities of Maplewood and St. Louis, their respective police chiefs, James White and Joe Mokwa, and the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.

The suit claims excessive use of force, violation of due process and improper supervision of officers.

Maplewood City Manager Martin Corcoran and a St. Louis police spokesperson declined to comment.

One of the Maplewood officers resigned and one retired, officials said, and the third works for the department but not as an officer. Corcoran refused to say which is which.

St. Louis police said Knight was disciplined and returned to duty.

An FBI investigation of the circumstances continues, said Richard Wilkes, a spokesman for St. Louis police.

According to the suit, someone reported a suspicious person at a Maplewood convenience store about 7 a.m. that day, after Burns pumped gas and moved his car to the front to wait for a parking spot so he could go inside and pay.

The suit claims police called him by a racial slur and banged aggressively on his van while ordering him out, so he locked the doors and drove off.

"You might find it hard to understand, but in his mind my client was afraid," said Gilbert Sison, Burns' attorney, at a press conference Tuesday. "Everyone is colored by their experiences. His encounters with police and his family's encounters with police shaped his reaction. He was scared."

Burns attended the conference but did not speak to reporters.

The suit says he flashed his lights and honked his horn to warn other motorists as he led pursuing Maplewood police into St. Louis. The chase ended after about 20 minutes, when one of the patrol cars bumped the van, sending it into a slow spin.

Burns ran and was quickly caught. His suit says he threw his hands into the air to signal surrender but officers still threw him to the ground and hit him.

He got traffic tickets but was never charged with felonies over the incident. He later went to prison on an unrelated parole violation but has since been released.