Leslie and Douglas filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California over the death of Doug Martin, a former NFL running back who was 36. The suit names Oakland, the Oakland Police Department and FALCK NORCAL as defendants and says Martin died after a mental-health crisis.
The family alleges Martin died from restraint asphyxia after police and paramedics failed to provide timely medical care. John Burris, the lawyer representing Leslie and Douglas, said, "They just want to know what happened."
Leslie called for help on Oct. 18
According to the lawsuit, Leslie called paramedics on Oct. 18 after her son began experiencing a mental-health crisis. Martin fled and hid in a neighbor’s house two doors away, and Oakland police later found him in the basement.
The suit says officers physically restrained Martin and placed him face down while one or more officers pressed on his back. When officers turned him on his side, the family says, he was unresponsive.
FALCK NORCAL response
The lawsuit alleges at least one officer requested medical assistance while Martin was still unresponsive. It says FALCK NORCAL paramedics arrived about 15 minutes after the call for service and did not promptly provide medical care when they got there.
John Burris said, "Here’s a situation where the mother was calling for help. He was emotionally out of it, and she was calling for help." The case now moves into federal court, where the family is asking a judge to sort out who bears responsibility for what happened after emergency help was called.
