He said Lazo struck an officer in the head with his elbow and reached for an officer’s gun, calling the chain of events “life-threatening” for the police.
“They used force that was reasonable, appropriate and justified in this situation,” he said.
Brewington accused the officers of fabricating a reason to pull over Lazo and using their authority to beat and humiliate him, including stripping off his clothes and shoes and beating him when he attempted to flee. Lazo, who was initially taken to a nearby police precinct instead of a hospital, had 36 injuries throughout his body, Brewington said.
Lindemann said Lazo had superficial injuries that did not require hospitalisation.
Lazo was later found unresponsive on the floor of a holding cell and taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined he died from cardiac arrest “following exertion associated with prolonged physical altercation with multiple blunt impacts.” Obesity was also determined to be a factor in his death.
