Man overdoses after being in Miami police custody, lawsuit says. Family wants restitution
.jpg "The family of man who died of an overdose after being in police custody is suing the Miami Police Department for their alleged involvement.")
Rafael Sanchez was no stranger to the law.
An alleged repeat offender who faced several criminal cases and spent a year in prison for burglary. He would encounter police officers for the last time on the day he died in 2022.
An autopsy ruled his death a drug overdose at the time. Now, his family claims in a recently filed lawsuit that the Miami Police Department played a key role in his death.
Charlie Lanza, a representative of Sanchez’s estate, sued the City of Miami on August 2 for his wrongful death and violating his civil rights. Lanza is seeking at least $75,000 in damages for Sanchez’s young daughter to use for her “past and future mental pain and suffering,” among other things.
On the afternoon of Aug. 3, 2022, a trio of Miami officers were called to investigate a robbery in the 3400 block of Northwest 17th Ave, the lawsuit read. Within five minutes of arriving, they found Sanchez, whom they believed had committed the robbery, and promptly arrested him.
About four hours passed before he was taken to the police department for interrogation, the lawsuit read. He was then moved to an interview room and told to wait for a detective.
Alone in the room, Sanchez began to have a “medical emergency” as authorities watched through television monitors. Emergency services were called nearly two hours after he was brought to the station.
He was later taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead.
According to Lanza and his attorney, it is believed Sanchez ate a large amount of drugs, presumed to be methamphetamine, that was hidden on him. His autopsy reported “actual methamphetamine toxicity” as the cause of death, the lawsuit read.
Miami officers did not properly search and seize any illegal or dangerous items on Sanchez before he was taken into custody, the lawsuit alleges, adding that this lapse caused his death.
The Miami Police Department and Lanza’s attorney did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
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