Officers cleared in mentally ill man’s death

Ramzi Saad is one of three people who have died in San Mateo County in the past 11 months after being shocked with a Taser

REDWOOD CITY >> Four Redwood City police officers were justified in their use of a Taser and other force that contributed to the death of a mentally ill man earlier this year, according to a report.

Written by San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, the report offers new details about the clash between 55-yearold Ramzi Saad and officers Oscar Poveda, Daniel Di Bona, Brian Simmons and Matthew Cydzik on the evening of Aug. 13.

Saad is one of three people who have died in San Mateo County in the past 11 months after being shocked with a Taser. Although Wagstaffe has suggested a study of stun guns may now be in order, he said the “less-than-lethal” device was used correctly in this case.

“Officer Poveda applied the Taser appropriately,” Wagstaffe wrote. “In fact, it appears from the Taser logs that he delivered less than the 5 seconds normally administered in a deployment of the device.”

Saad, who lived with his mother in the 500 block of Lanyard Drive in Redwood City, had a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to the report. He also had health problems, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

His mother, Dalal Saad, told officers he had been in a “bad mood” all day and was “acting strange.”

“She also noticed that he had not taken his medication and as the day wore on he became more erratic in his behavior, which is what she typically observes when he doesn't take his medication,” Wagstaffe wrote. “Despite her urgings, he refused to take the medication.”

Saad, at one point, grabbed his prescription bottles and went to the home of neighbor Randy Hooper. According to the report, he told Hooper, “My mother is dead and they're killing us.”

Hooper, who was aware of Saad's mental health issues, walked him back to his home. Hooper also tried to soothe Saad, who was “very agitated, shouting and speaking incoherently.”

Saad, after being escorted back to his home a second time by Hooper, “forcibly shoved” his 83-year-old mother outside their home, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head, according to the report. Hooper called 911.

Poveda was the first officer to arrive at the scene. After learning that Saad had mental health issues, Poveda tried to use the crisis intervention training he received in 2016 to defuse the situation, according to the report. The tactic initially appeared to work, but Saad's demeanor suddenly changed and he tried to punch the officer in the face.

In response, Poveda fired his Taser at Saad, who fell to the ground after being hit by the probes. The officer delivered a second shock when Saad refused to put his hands behind his back. Saad then grabbed a piece of fruit from a nearby tree and threw it at Poveda.

“Officer Poveda began to be very concerned for his own safety, as Mr. Saad was a very large man and full of rage,” Wagaffe wrote. “As Ramzi Saad had still not complied with orders to put his hands behind his back, Officer Poveda deployed his Taser again, sending a new set of probes at Mr. Saad.”

Saad, meanwhile, rolled to the side and grabbed a brick. Poveda, who believed Saad was going to hit him with the brick, activated his Taser but shocked himself instead and dropped the device. The officer was shocked a second time when he tried to pick it up.

Poveda struggled with Saad, who continued to resist, but he eventually handcuffed him.

“Just as Mr. Saad's hands were cuffed, the other officers arrived and took over for Officer Poveda, who shaking and exhausted, walked away from the struggle,” Wagstaffe wrote. “In recalling the incident later, Officer Poveda remarked that Ramzi Saad was ‘one of the strongest guys' he's ever dealt with, and expressed that Mr. Saad had ‘unbelievable strength.'”

Saad was still thrashing on the ground, according to the report. Di Bona used his bodyweight to control Saad's legs while Simmons centered himself on Saad's midsection. Cydzik, meanwhile, helped hold Saad down by putting a knee between his shoulder blades.

“Finally, Mr. Saad seemed to stop fighting and the officers relieved some of the pressure on him,” Wagstaffe wrote. “They monitored him to make sure he was able to breathe, and confirmed that he was breathing. Some moments later, they noticed that his body was less rigid. Noticing that he had become nonresponsive, they immediately summoned the paramedics who were there to treat Dalal Saad.”

Saad was pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy concluded he had died as a result of “cardiac arrest occurring during physical exertion, physical restraint and tasering.”

“This unfortunate result was not intended by the officers, nor could they have foreseen such a tragic outcome from the use of nonlethal force,” Wagstaffe wrote. “Their conduct was reasonable and justifiable based on the decedent's violent conduct that evening.”