Police Not Liable for Handcuffing Obese Suspect Who Died
Indianapolis IN January 14 2020
Police officers who chased an obese suspect and handcuffed him behind his back are entitled to qualified immunity from his parents’ claim they caused his death, the Seventh Circuit said.
Terrell Day didn’t have a clearly established right to have the officers determine an appropriate position for the cuffs or assess his condition before putting them on, the opinion by Judge Daniel E. Manion said.
Day was 18 years old and weighed 312 pounds when security officers at an Indianapolis mall stopped him for shoplifting.
They called police, but Day took off running.
When the police caught Day, he was handcuffed.
Day was taken to a hospital and later passed away.
His family asserted that the handcuffs were too small and that waused a medical emergency leading to the death of Day.
