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Lawsuit filed against Chicago police over in-custody death

Posted July 20, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - The family of a 24-year-old who died in Chicago police custody last year has filed a federal lawsuit alleging officers used excessive force during an arrest captured by dash-cam video.

The video of the July 20, 2015 incident shows Heriberto Godinez thrashing about while handcuffed. It shows an officer putting a foot on his neck for about two seconds as others tried to bring him under control.

Godinez was arrested as police responded to a report of a burglary. The medical examiner's office determined the cause of Godinez's death to be "combined cocaine and ethanol toxicity."

The lawsuit alleges the Chicago Police Department has failed to properly investigate deaths in custody and has a de-facto code of silence policy that allows police to act with impunity.

A Chicago's Law Department spokesman said Wednesday the city had no comment.

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