The parents of former NFL running back Doug Martin—who died eight months ago while in Oakland police custody—are suing the city of Oakland, five of its police officers, and an ambulance company in federal court. In the lawsuit, filed earlier this week, Martin's parents say their son, who was 36 years old at the time, died from restraint asphyxia caused by police officers. This was compounded, the lawsuit says, by the paramedics failing to arrive until more than 15 minutes after the call for service.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Northern California, and was first reported by Jakob Rodgers of the East Bay Times. It makes eight claims, including wrongful death by negligence, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Martin died in the early hours of Oct. 18. At about 4:00 a.m., the retired running back experienced what his family in the lawsuit calls a "a mental health crisis," prompting his mother, Leslie, to call 911. But her son ran away to a neighbor's house, two doors down, where Oakland police found him in the basement. Police restrained Martin, per the lawsuit, placing him face down while "one or more officers pressed on his back." After some time passed, the officers turned Martin on his side. Martin appeared unconscious, the lawsuit says, but the officers thought he was either sleeping or pretending to sleep.
At some point, an officer did ask for medical help but, per the complaint, Martin's parents believe their son "did not receive immediate medical attention." Paramedics, working for the paramedics provider Falck USA, did not arrive until more than 15 minutes after the call for service, the lawsuit says, and when they did get there, they did not "promptly provide medical care."
John Burris, an attorney for the Martin family, told the East Bay Times that the family sued because the investigating agencies "haven't been forthcoming." As Rodgers reported, so far Oakland police have released only a highly edited "compilation" video of footage taken by officers, and the family still has not gotten a copy of the full autopsy report. Both the East Bay Times and Oaklandside reached out to Oakland police, the city, and Falck USA for comment, but all either declined or did not reply.
The Martin family has previously said they donated their son's brain to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, so scientists there can see if their son, who played eight seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had CTE when he died.
A copy of the lawsuit in full can be read by clicking here.
