A federal judge found that excessive force was “a substantial factor in causing the death” of Dan Demott, 66.
Dan Demott died Nov. 5, 2018 when he hid in a freezing, flooded crawlspace during a standoff in which Anchorage police bombarded his house with tear gas and other"less lethal" weapons. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that police used excessive force in the standoff, and that the force was a"substantial factor" in his death. Demott's daughter said she had called 911 for help getting her dad to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute because he was suffering a manic episode.
The city, represented by attorneys from the firm Guess and Rudd, had argued that even if the force used was found to be excessive, qualified immunity protected the officers, Luis Soto and Steven“Because this case remains in litigation, we cannot comment further on the legal matter,” Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said Monday. “With that said, APD takes such matters seriously, considers all feedback, and is committed to upholding the highest standards of conduct within our department.
The lawsuit asserts that despite knowing that Demott was in a mental health crisis, police for hours bombarded the house with SWAT tactics that included shooting more than a dozen rounds of potent and painful tear gas into the home,The narrative in court documents spells out what happened next: For a man who was already in a mental health crisis, delusional and paranoid about police, it must have been terrifying, said Jeff Barber, the Demott family’s attorney.
The narrative continues: At 11 p.m., police shot foam projectiles at the house, breaking a large window. They caught a glimpse of Demott moving away from the broken window. Then they sent tear gas into the house.
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