California pays Bronstein family record-breaking settlement for in custody death
The family of a Burbank man who took his final breath in police custody, begging for air, will be awarded the largest settlement in state history for his civil rights violations. The seventh CHP officers who took part in the arrest are also facing criminal charges, and we want to warn you the video is very graphic. Here's K-Cal News reporter Joy Benedict. I can't breathe. Three words forever associated with George Floyd, but months before his death, they were words spoken by Edward Bronstein right here in Southern California. You're bringing the fight to this, not us. It was March 31st, 2020, when this 38-year-old was taken into custody for a suspected DUI by CHP officers.
They had a court order for a blood draw. This is your last opportunity. Otherwise, you're going face down on the mat, and we're going to keep on going. Seconds later, he was. I'm doing willingly. I'm doing willingly. And just a few minutes after that, he stopped breathing.
They're exhausting their last breaths with the words, I can't breathe. Carrie Harper is a civil rights attorney and has handled other excessive force cases. She says the settlement reached between the state and Bronstein's family is groundbreaking. Excessive force is not acceptable, so if they haven't gotten a memo, 24 million will give them a memo. The reported settlement is $24 million, the largest in state history, and second only to the 27 million awarded to George Floyd's family. Same words, and that should echo in every officer in the country and in the world. When people are saying they can't breathe, they really mean they can't breathe.
I was surprised that a settlement did come in. I was surprised that it came in this eye. Tim Williams is a retired senior detective supervisor with the LAPD and current use of force expert. When a person has to wait on them, it's like it has a person who's drowning. They're not fighting you. They're fighting to breathe. He says although Governor Newsom's office has since signed a law banning certain face down holds, there is still work to do.
Seven officers and a nurse have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in this case, but attorneys fear the message still isn't strong enough. When they have to lose their homes and pay the amounts personally instead of their employer paying it, that's when things will change when we start taxing their bank accounts. Bronstein's family and their attorneys will be holding a news conference sometime tomorrow to discuss more about the settlement and exactly how it was reached. Joy Benedict, K-Cal News.
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