Michael Patrick Lass
Michael Patrick Lass was a 28-year-old man who had been living on the streets of Santa Ana and had serious mental and medical conditions. He was held at the Orange County Central Jail, where he felt ill and asked for medical attention. According to the accounts, deputies ordered him out of his cell, tackled him, and used a Taser on him nine times during the struggle that followed. The county autopsy found multiple contusions, and his father, Frederick Lass, says deputies beat him while he cried out that they were killing him. A 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. The county autopsy found multiple contusions, and his father says deputies beat him while he cried out that they were killing him.
Reported by: Orange County autopsy (medical examiner or coroner); his father.
Lawsuit: A lawsuit against Orange County and six deputies over his death ended without a finding of liability against them.