The family of a man who died last year shortly after being taken into custody by San Diego County sheriff’s deputies is suing the county.
The suit, filed by members of Abdul Kamara’s family, also targets several law enforcement personnel. Kamara, 29, died after his March 3 arrest in Cardiff.
He had been taken to a hospital “due to concerns about his health and mental well-being,” according to the complaint filed Thursday in federal court.
Kamara left the hospital on his own and sheriff’s deputies later found him about a mile away, where he was seen crawling around a parking lot off Birmingham Drive with no shirt or shoes.
The lawsuit alleges Kamara should have been returned to the hospital, but deputies instead took him to the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
While in a patrol car, Kamara struck his head against the interior of the car, cutting his face. Deputies then took the handcuffed man out of the car and sat him down on a bench outside the jail.
The sheriff’s department said in a statement released shortly after Kamara’s death that he “stood up and then began kicking and flailing against deputies trying to control him,” leading them to place him in a WRAP restraint device, which restricts a person’s movement.
After paramedics arrived, Kamara fell unconscious and stopped breathing, the department said. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The lawsuit, however, alleges that Kamara was “cooperative and complied with deputy’s instructions,” but stated that he tried to stand up and fell to the ground.
While the WRAP device was being placed on him, attorneys said Kamara “was restrained by the body weight” of six deputies over the course of around seven minutes.
The suit contends that Kamara should have been positioned upright or allowed to stand “to facilitate breathing and monitoring,” but was instead left lying on the ground.
The lawsuit states that hospital staff had informed deputies that Kamara was “paranoid, delusional and unable to care for his own safety” and that they wanted him returned to the hospital for further evaluation.
“Instead of receiving the medical care he desperately needed, Abdul died hours later,” the lawsuit states.
Prosecutors in December declined to file criminal charges against the law enforcement personnel involved – the group includes, according to the District Attorney’s Office, five San Diego County deputies and one officer from the California Highway Patrol.
At a news conference held last month in front of the detention facility, Kamara’s family said they had received few answers regarding what happened and that sheriff’s officials have refused to release video footage depicting the arrest.
Kamara moved to San Diego County about two months before his death to attend the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad.
His family originally hails from Sierra Leone and said they fled their home country to escape civil war.
Kamara’s mother, Fredrika Nabbie, said at the news conference, “I brought my son here from Africa 15 years ago for safety.”
Pointing to a picture of her son, Nabbie said, “This handsome man here was killed by police. I have no answer from them why they killed my son.”
