SAN DIEGO -- The family of a 29-year-old man filed a complaint, accusing San Diego police officers of using excessive force during a Nov. 8 traffic stop, it was reported Thursday.

Nathaniel Gilbert was hospitalized with head injuries and may lose his right eye, his father, William Gilbert Jr., told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Police followed Gilbert into the driveway of his North Bay Terraces home shortly before 5 p.m. that Thursday, his father said.

As his son got out of the car, he asked officers why he was being stopped and was told to get back in the car, the senior Gilbert said.

"Officers then told my son after a time that he was stopped because of a broken taillight," Gilbert said. "When he inquired as to whether he would get a fix-it ticket, or warning, one thing led to another."

His son ended up struggling with officers in his driveway, at one point calling out to his girlfriend in the house to come out and witness what was happening, his father said.

Gilbert, who was bleeding from the head, according to his father, was taken to downtown police headquarters for booking, then to Sharp Coronado Hospital for treatment.

San Diego police spokesman, Detective Gary Hassen, stated:

"On Nov. 8 at 4:45 p.m., a stop was made on a car driven by Nathaniel Gilbert for a traffic infraction. During the stop, Gilbert became combative and while being taken into custody he sustained injuries to his face."

Hassen said the investigation has since been turned over to Internal Affairs, and no charges against Gilbert have been filed.

At Sharp Coronado Hospital, doctors said Gilbert would have to be treated at UCSD Medical Center and called for an ambulance to take him there, the Union-Tribune reported.

He was admitted about midnight, about seven hours after the altercation, and treated for loss of consciousness, a concussion, skull fracture, and eye and facial injuries, according to hospital records.

His father, a nutritionist at Naval Medical Center San Diego, said his son may need surgery to save an eye.

Gilbert, who was hospitalized for two days, has declined to be interviewed on the advice of an attorney.

Nathaniel Gilbert, who works as a counselor for troubled youths, is a former standout football player at Lincoln and Mount Miguel high schools.

William Gilbert said he had examined his son's car after the incident and found no faulty taillight.