PHOENIX — An April 25 trial has been scheduled in a lawsuit filed over the 2017 death of a man who died after struggling with Phoenix police officers outside of a community center.
The lawsuit alleged officers caused Muhammad Abdul Muhaymin’s death by using unjustified force.
Muhaymin was experiencing homeless at the time and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia. Lawyers representing the city denied the lawsuit’s allegations of excessive force and wrongful death.
Video shows Muhaymin telling officers during the struggle that he couldn’t breathe. Officers were arresting Muhaymin on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court.
Officers said they were attempting to detain Muhaymin when he began fighting with them on Jan. 4, 2017.
After the altercation at Maryvale Community Center, Muhaymin died at the hospital.
Phoenix police have since released the names of 10 officers involved in the altercation, all of whom have over a decade of experience on the force.
Phoenix's Black Lives Matter group claimed that Muhaymin was with his service dog and was denied entry to the bathroom. That is when BLM says the officers were "abrasive, rude, and profane" with Muhaymin.
Representatives of Muhaymin's family said that Phoenix police were "deliberately opaque with the facts," and body camera footage will show what they say to be true.
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