Family seeks $50 million in case of man who died after Los Angeles police used stun gun

Keenan Anderson, 31, died of cardiac arrest in a hospital hours after a struggle with Los Angeles Police Department officers who were pursuing him after a car crash on Jan. 3, police have said. Anderson was shocked six times with a Taser in less than a minute.

“As a result of this unlawful assault and battery, Mr. Anderson sustains serious injury and damages to his mind and body,” the claim reads.

Civil rights attorneys Carl Douglas and Ben Crump filed the claim on behalf of Anderson’s 5-year-old son.

What happened to Keenan Anderson?

Police have said Anderson initially complied with officers’ orders as they investigated a car collision and whether Anderson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He later fled and was chased by officers, then resisted when they tried to detain him, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore.

Officers then used a stun gun to subdue him. He was taken to a hospital, where he died more than four hours later. A preliminary toxicology report from police found cocaine and cannabis in Anderson’s body, according to Moore, and a coroner’s toxicology report will also be performed.

“It’s unclear what role the physical struggle with the officers and the use of the Taser played in his unfortunate death,” Moore said.

Moore said there isn’t a limit to how many times officers can use a Taser on someone, but it is best practice to avoid repeated use to avoid injuring the person they’re trying to restrain. 

“If you Taser someone with 50,000 watts of electrical energy six times in the heart, is there really any wonder that moments later, his heart will begin to flutter?” Douglas said at the press conference. “Is there any wonder why four hours later, his heart could no longer withstand the pressure from that Taser and give out, leaving a 5-year-old boy in his wake?”

A spokesperson for the LAPD declined to comment on the claim, telling USA TODAY on Friday the department does not comment on pending litigation.

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