Federal lawsuit filed over man tasered before bridge jump
The Spokane River roars toward the Monroe Street Bridge
SPOKANE -- A federal lawsuit will be filed Monday in the case of a suicidal man who fell to his death after he was tasered by Spokane Police.
On July 27, 2007, Joshua Levy perched himself on Downtown Spokane's Monroe Street Bridge, where he stayed for 20 hours. Family members say Levy battled mental illness most of his life, and had been released from days Western State Hospital days prior.
Spokane Police closed the bridge and tried to negotiate with Levy to get him to safety. After 20 hours, they convinced him to step down off the ledge to urinate. In an attempt to disable him, officers deployed a taser at Levy, who was hit with one of two prongs. Fleeing from officers' outreached hands, Levy jumped over the side of the bridge and fell to his death. Posted at Krem.com More here.
Doubt if anyone is surpised by this. A tragedy for all concerned.
