Lawsuit alleges excessive force during arrest death
Published 3:10 pm Tuesday, July 28, 2020
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KNOXVILLE (AP) — A federal lawsuit has been filed by a woman who says her son died after deputies in Tennessee used excessive force during an arrest.
The lawsuit said Knox County Sheriff’s deputies hogtied Johnathan Binkley, 35, kicked him, put pressure on his back and failed to help him as he struggled to breathe, WBIR-TV reported.
Binkley’s mother, Ann Ledford, said in the suit that bodycam video shows how deputies treated her son, who is white, last July when they caught him after a pursuit.
The suit names the county, the sheriff and 13 deputies. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages at a jury trial.
The Sheriff’s Office doesn’t comment about pending litigation, WBIR reported.
After Binkley was hogtied, he struggled to breathe and speak, the lawsuit said.
“A deputy continued to hold his knee and press his weight on Mr. Binkley’s back for an extended period of time. During this period, many of the other KCSO deputies continued to stand nearby, watching Mr. Binkley struggle to breathe,” the lawsuit states.
After more than four minutes, Binkley didn’t move and deputies tried to revive him with Narcan, a drug that can revive people who have overdosed on drugs.
Deputies also tried chest compressions, but Binkley died at the scene, the lawsuit said.
