The Los Angeles Times reports that a civil court jury has awarded $8 million to the family of a man who died while struggling with L.A. Sheriff’s deputies.
On Aug. 3, 2012, police responded to a call of a man choking a pregnant woman in Compton. Darren Burley was ultimately arrested for misdemeanor assault, but only after deputies acknowledged punching the 29-year-old, zapping him with a stun gun and using their body weight to force handcuffs on him, according to court records.
Burley died 12 days later.
Police say Burley’s death was caused by a heart attack brought on by years of drug abuse. But Burley’s family attorney Carl Douglas says the police put him in a choke hold, blocking the flow of oxygen to his brain.
After deliberating for two days, a jury has now found the county liable for negligence and battery in the man’s death and awarded $8 million to his wife and five children.
“In the wake of the troubling decision in Ferguson and Staten Island, it is particularly heartening that the fair-minded people of Long Beach were able to listen to all of the evidence and determine that a black life did matter,” Douglas said.
While the jurors found the county negligent, county prosecutors declined to charge deputies David Aviles and Paul Baserra, citing Burley’s violent behavior.