$2.2M payout set in LV police chokehold death

Relatives of a man who died after an encounter with Las Vegas police in 2017 reached a tentative agreement this week to settle a lawsuit for $2.2 million.

If finalized, it would be the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Police Department’s history. Parties to the federal lawsuit regarding Tashii Brown’s death agreed to the deal after nine hours of talks, attorney Boris Treyzon said.

The tentative agreement comes amid a national conversation about police brutality. House Democrats recently passed a sweeping law enforcement reform bill that would ban tactics such as chokeholds.

Final approval of the settlement is up to the Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs. Metro said

it could not comment on the settlement until the committee takes action on it.

The lawsuit, filed in 2017 on behalf of Brown’s children, accuses Metro of excessive force and gross negligence.

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court and sought damages for Brown’s medical bills, pain and suffering, and loss of economic support for the children.

It alleged that former Metro officer Kenneth Lopera, who also is a defendant in the case, violated Brown’s civil rights by using excessive force. The settlement releases both Metro and Lopera from the lawsuit.

Brown died in May 2017 after Lopera stunned him with a Taser seven times, repeatedly punched him and placed him in what Lopera described as a rear naked choke for more than a minute.

Just before that, Brown approached Lopera and another officer inside a Strip resort and said he was being chased, then took off running. Lopera chased him and thought Brown was trying to steal a truck, according to police.

The rear naked choke is not allowed by Metro, but the hold is similar to a department-approved neck restraint called the lateral vascular neck restraint.

Both holds restrict blood flow to the brain by compressing the carotid arteries but do not restrict breathing. The department says it