Mobile Police Sued Over Tasing and Beating

A man who is now the subject of a lawsuit against the Mobile Police Department and several individual officers has died.

Mobile Police are facing a lawsuit over the treatment of a man who was reportedly a mental patient at Mobile Mental Health. 25 year old Daniel Mingo died late this afternoon after being taken off life support machines he has been on since last Friday. Mingo was pulled over last Friday (1/22/10) at the intersection of Bolton's Branch Road and Hall's Mill Road. In a press release, Mobile Police say Mingo ran from them.

News 5 has learned Mobile attorney Chase Dearman has filed a lawsuit alleging officers caused multiple injuries to Mingo. Dearman says as far as he could determine Mingo cooperated with officers at the outset of the traffic stop, providing his license and registration. But, the attorney says, Mingo was removed from the car, got scared and ran. Dearman says his actions were possibly caused by his mental disability.

In a press release, Mobile Police said officers chased Mingo on foot and found him in the 1200 block of Carlton Acres Drive. They said he had discarded some of his clothing and was hiding in a shed. Police said Mingo was tased once in order for him to be handcuffed.

But Dearman says his investigation has found inconsistencies with the police statement. Dearman alleges Mingo was tased multiple times and injured to the extent that brain swelling happened, leaving the man brain dead by the time he was taken to a hospital emergency room. Dearman also said he can find no record where Mingo was arrested, or charged with any crime prior to being taken to the emergency room. Nor can he find a record that includes the names of the officers involved in the case.

Dearman acknowledges that Mingo had been charged before this incident with possession of drugs, but at the time of the traffic stop there were no active warrants. He said during the manhunt, narcotics officers who had had some dealing with Mingo prior to the incident, were called to assist.

Mobile Police have opened an internal investigation. They have not named the officers involved in the case or said how many officers were involved. Dearman's lawsuit does not name specific officers. Mobile Police on Thursday said they had not yet seen the lawsuit and declined comment.