Michael Lass
Michael Patrick Lass, 28, had been living on the streets of Santa Ana and had serious mental and medical conditions. According to a report on the case, he felt ill while held at the Orange County Central Jail and asked for medical attention. Deputies ordered him out of his cell, officers used a Taser on him during a struggle, and he was declared dead at St. Joseph's Hospital. The county's lawyer said an autopsy attributed his death to cardiac arrest from excited delirium, while his father, Frederick Lass, says deputies beat him as he cried out that they were killing him. His father's lawsuit against Orange County and six deputies did not find them liable, and the county later changed its Taser policy.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The county autopsy found multiple contusions and his father says deputies beat him, while the county's lawyer says cardiac arrest from excited delirium caused his death; he had felt ill and asked for medical attention, and deputies ordered him out of his cell instead.
Reported by: county autopsy; Norman Watkins, lawyer for Orange County and the deputies (the agency that held him); his father's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His father sued Orange County and six deputies over his death, alleging excessive force; a federal trial began in September 2010, and no settlement or award amount is reported.