Repeatedly Tasered, Man Dies After Being Taken Into Police Custody
Witnesses say they could audibly hear Michael Ruiz' skull thumping across the steps as police dragged him down the staircase.
"Many of Michael's neighbors witnessed everything and recorded it all on their phones.
Gary Carthen was good friends with Michael, and witnessed it all.
"This was bad, very bad. Because he didn't deserve that to happen, not like that," he said.
Carthen and his neighbors want answers. Verna Young says you could hear his head banging on the stairs as police dragged him down.
"I started crying 'cause that's not right, to hurt nobody like that," she said. "He didn't deserve that. He was a nice person, very nice."'
Richard Erickson, Michael's father and retired LAPD detective told reporters that his son had some drug issues, but was never violent and respected police.
"I just felt sick to my stomach," he said, referring to the video. "I'd never seen anything like this before, even when I was with the police department."
Michael Ruiz had to be resuscitated at the scene, and when his family arrived at the hospital he was on life support. The doctors said that he was brain-dead. Family members removed him from life-support on August 2nd.
Erickson has hired an attorney and wants the officers involved fired.
"I don't want to see anyone else's son killed like this," he said.
"I think the video speaks for itself," said attorney Jocquese Blackwell, who has been hired by the family to get to the bottom of what happened. "They believe the officers involved in this particular case went too far. They went outside their authority."
The family is not seeking legal action yet.
Ruiz left behind 2 children and a wife.