Family Claims LAPD Killed Their Father

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Los Angeles police Tasered and choked a man to death at the 77th Street Jail, his children claim in Federal Court.

Children of the late Vachel Howard claims that while he was in custody at the jail, their father "was Tased over five times, physically restrained by multiple officers, placed in a hobble restraint and handcuffed and then placed in a fatal choke hold, all while possibly suffering from cardiac arrest. Mr. Howard posed no imminent threat of death or physical injury to the officers present, or to anyone else. The use of deadly force against Mr. Howard by defendants under these circumstances was both unconstitutional and violated clearly established law that would have been known to any reasonable police officer."

Howard's children claim that defendant Officers Richard Fox, Maryann Bunag and detention Officer Juan Romero are the ones who manhandled their father. They claim that when the officers did take their father to a hospital, "unknown officers informed hospital personnel that Mr. Howard went into cardiac arrest as a result of being Tased, but withheld information regarding the application of the choke hold."

They also sued Police Chief Charlie Beck.

They seek punitive damages for unreasonable use of deadly force and denial of medical care, civil rights violations and wrongful death. They are represented by Ibiere Seck with The Cochran Firm.

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