Claims
Plaintiffs allege Tacoma Police Department officers Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank, Timothy Rankine, Masyih Ford, Armando Farinas, and Ron Komarovsky, together with Pierce County Sheriff's Office Deputy Gary Sanders and Lieutenant Anthony Messineo, used excessive and deadly restraint force against Manuel Ellis on March 3, 2020 during a street encounter in Tacoma, Washington. According to the complaint, officers beat Ellis, used a chokehold and Taser, restrained him face-down while handcuffed, applied a hobble restraint and spit mask, ignored repeated statements that he could not breathe, and Ellis died from hypoxia due to physical restraint. The suit asserts § 1983 excessive force, failure to intervene, Monell claims against the City of Tacoma and Pierce County, and related Washington wrongful-death and tort claims.