The brother and sister-in-law of a man who was killed during his 2013 arrest are suing Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and two Sheriff's deputies for $20 million.
SPOKANE — The brother and sister-in-law of a man who was killed during his 2013 arrest are suing Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and two Sheriff’s deputies for $20 million.
KHQ-TV reports that the lawsuit claims deputies put 34-year-old William Berger in an illegal chokehold after repeatedly hitting him with a stun gun during his June 2013 arrest. The suit claims Berger lost consciousness in the chokehold at which time the deputies stopped EMTs from helping.
Berger was never revived and died several days later. His death was ruled a homicide, but deputies were cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Sheriff says that this incident has been investigated by county prosecutors and a citizen advisory board and his deputies were found to be within the course of their policy and the law.