Family files $25 million wrongful death lawsuit, releases video of in custody death

A buddy of mine (also LE) sent me this story earlier, as she's completely gobsmacked at what took place. The story is two years old, but the family had finally filed a lawsuit.

South Boston (Virginia) 911 received multiple calls for noise from a motel 8. When they arrived, they found the subject in an agitated state. They decided to take him to the hospital for evaluation, saying he was possibly suffering delusions. They cuff him and put him in the back of a car.

Okay, all good so far. I'm not going to complain about the cuffing. Everybody I don't know who gets put in my vehicle is cuffed, so no big deal to me. By all means, disagree with me if you wish. Just saying that in my opinion, things are all good still.

Flash forward to arrival at the ER. Subject gets somewhat combative and then runs into the ER door.

And things get stupid. Over the next half hour, there's 20 applications of the Taser. Now it's entirely possible, even probable, that not all 20 applications made contact. But several did.

Including at least two that were issued after the subject was restrained and in the back of a car, again, but wouldn't or couldn't sit up.

The officers then drive off to the detention facility. Upon arrival, subject is unresponsive. They call for EMS and begin CPR. Subject is DOA at the hospital.

The same hospital they just drove away from.

Mind = blown. It's not often that I 100% buy into claims of excessive force. This one though.

I can't even.

Warning, graphic video.

www.msnbc.com...

a reply to: Shamrock6

Saw this the other day. One of the cops was tasing the guy for not sitting up in the cruiser after being tased 1000 times..

And it took 2 years and a lawsuit to get the tape released. HMM I wonder why?

a reply to: Shamrock6

This is fake right?

I hope its fake.

Please be fake.

I dont think its fake.

a reply to: frostie

It's not. My amigo is on a nearby agency. She remembered hearing about it but had forgotten till she saw the lawsuit.

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Yea. Not sitting up and "possibly biting...or biting at..."

Oh.

a reply to: Shamrock6

I have some buddies that are LE - smart guys, good eggs. But wow - it seems like departments are lowering their standards just to be able to staff up.

Well, he admitted coc aine use at one point. That seems to be when they decided to shackle him. Also he was attempting to run away from them. He destroyed public property when he kicked out the window of the cruiser. According to a goodly number of posters on this site, those things are reason enough to kill him.

My heart goes out to this man's family. The rules of the site prohibit me commenting on the behavior of the cop beyond saying, "Wonder if they would like to be treated that way?"

Thanks for posting this even if it does make my heart hurt. It makes my heart hurt because it reflects badly on every good cop out there just trying to do the right thing.

a reply to: Shamrock6

As a LE will you be making any kind of complaint?

a reply to: Shamrock6
What really got Me was tasering Him while his ankles were shackled,hands cuffed,and seat belted in back of the cruiser all because He didn't sit up straight..Smh,I don't think anybody would be able to sit up straight after being tasered over 10 times..

a reply to: VoidHawk

A complaint about what?

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: VoidHawk

A complaint about what?

People keep asking why the good cops dont speak up, are you a good cop?

I am no expert Sham, but I'll go out on a limb here and say that the root cause of his death was being tazered 20+ times.

You see, by my way of thinking, everything else that occurred with this event cannot cause death (cuffs, banging into a door, being put in the back of a car, going to hospital, going to detention centre, going back to hospital) - the "which one of these things is not like the other" was being tazered 20+ times.

So, even if the bloke was juiced up on drugs, the 20+ tazerings were the cause of death, imo.

a reply to: VoidHawk

You want me to file a complaint about an incident I read an article about, which took place two years ago, in a state I don't live in, so you'll think I'm a good cop?

Not sure you understand how that works, guy.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Yea I would agree. While also not an expert, I have a preeeeetty tough time buying that coke was the main factor here. Contributing, sure. Totally see that. But I feel like the, potentially, 87 seconds of shock maybe, just maybe, contributed to it.

a reply to: Shamrock6

I can't even imagine the horror that the family of this man felt when they watched this video. It made me ill to my stomach and I am not even remotely related to the man who died. Shame on these three LEO's! They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and have the key thrown away.

20+ times is what I would call overkill.

I hope the sister brings down the LEO's, the captain of the department, the DA and all the ones who supposedly "investigated" this case.

2 years to turn over the video's? Guess it is obvious why it took a court order to do so. Hopefully this family will find a way to get a new law passed that prohibits law enforcement from covering up for their own by withholding evidence in Mr. Lambert's name. Maybe this horrible death wouldn't be in vain.

Thanks for sharing this story Shamrock.

My heart goes out to this family.

a reply to: wanderingconfusion

CRAP.

I meant to put a warning in the OP about the video. Apologies everybody, and thanks for pointing it out WC.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: VoidHawk

You want me to file a complaint about an incident I read an article about, which took place two years ago, in a state I don't live in, so you'll think I'm a good cop?

Not sure you understand how that works, guy.

Ok, complaint may have been the wrong thing to suggest. Also I don't need to think your a good cop either, because I'm on the other side of the pond

I do however wonder (like many others) why the good cops never speak up about such cases, cases where its obvious cops have gone way over the top!
People often say "Dont paint all cops with the same brush" But we never seem to hear the good cops speaking out about such cases.
I know of a very good vid where a guy explains why the good cops wont speak up, if I can find it I'll post it, but for now it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on why they dont speak up?

Sorry if I sounded like I was having a pop, I'm just not a word smith and sometimes I come across that way.

a reply to: VoidHawk

Ah, now I understand.

I created the thread. I think my view on the incident is pretty clear. If anybody is confused as to what I think about it, I'll be happy to explain further.

But no, I will not be calling my local news to issue a statement, nor organizing a protest. And I will not be calling South Boston PD to let them know how I feel, because to be honest they won't give a rat's ass what I have to say about it.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Tragic, excessive, and wrong. I cannot imagine dying, like this, because of the heartless actions of those sworn to protect and serve. I hope his family gets every penny.

Freaking terrifying watching someone that made a poor decision and is in need of help being treated this way.

The guy is obviously not in the right state of mind, tells you he's done coc aine, so keep tazing him, throw hi in the car and don't take him into the hospital you're parked outside of?

You don't taze someone to make them sit up. The tazer seems to have become a bit of a crutch for some of the folks out there.

So OP from your perspective were they just idiots? Poorly trained? Actually being malicious? They sort of struck me as bumbling idiots more than anything. Problem is a bumbling idiot in that position can make some pretty huge mistakes.

Seriously scary stuff.