OXNARD, Calif. – A jury has awarded $2.9 million to the family of a California man who died in police custody after taking a large amount of methamphetamine.
The family of Robert Ramirez had sued the Oxnard Police Department in federal court. The 26-year-old died in June 2012 as officers tried to restrain him so he could get medical help.
Ventura County’s autopsy report found Ramirez died of “active prone restraint” after officers held him down. Attorneys for the city argued he died of the massive amount of drugs in his system.
The Ventura County Star reports (http://bit.ly/1JxJtt9 ) that jurors deliberated for about three days before finding Wednesday that all seven officers named in the suit had liability.
Oxnard Police Chief Jeri Williams told the newspaper she was surprised by the verdict.
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Information from: Ventura County Star, http://venturacountystar.com
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