EspañolSecond largest civil rights wrongful death settlement ever settles for $24 Million: Excessive Force by California Highway Patrol Officers Leads to Tragic End
I.M. v. California Highway Patrol – This case stems from the excessive use of force by California Highway Patrol officers based out of the Altadena CHP Station. In the early hours of March 31, 2020, two CHP officers pulled over Edward Bronstein for suspected driving under the influence. The CHP officers then took Edward to the CHP Altadena Station to obtain a blood draw to obtain evidence against him. At the station, at least five officers held Edward in the prone position on the floor while pressing against his back while a nurse attempted to obtain the blood draw. Sergeant Little elected to film the blood draw using a handheld camera. After feeling the force of the officers on his back, Bronstein yelled to the police officers that he was willing to submit to the blood draw voluntarily. The CHP officers continued press down on his back, neck, and legs while he continued shouting “I can’t breathe!” The CHP officers, however, continued with the blood draw until Edward became nonresponsive and blue. The CHP officers sat Bronstein upright, and Nurse Baghalian slapped Edward instead of immediately beginning CPR.
Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics arrived and took over resuscitation efforts. At 4:28 a.m. paramedics along with a doctor from the emergency room at Huntington Memorial Hospital pronounced Bronstein dead.
The blood sample taken from Bronstein was submitted to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department laboratory. The sample had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04%, well below the legal limit. The Plaintiffs in this case, his children and his parents, argued that CHP Officers and Nurse Baghalian suffocated Edward causing his death by asphyxia. This litigation resulted in the second largest pre-trial civil rights death settlement in the country, of $24 million, behind only the George Floyd incident.
