A family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against three Oregon police officers and the city of Coos Bay, alleging that officers left a mentally ill man to die in a hot patrol car while one officer watched TikTok videos and exchanged intimate text messages.
Nathan Bradford Smith, 33, died of heat stroke in July 2024 during what should have been a routine police encounter.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday claims officers ignored obvious signs of medical distress while prioritizing personal activities over emergency medical care.
Smith suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder when Coos Bay police officers Benjamin Martin, Tristan Smith and Wesley O’Connor encountered him on July 7, 2024.
The lawsuit alleges the officers demonstrated negligence and “deliberate interference” in their handling of Smith’s medical emergency.
Police found Smith outside a Motel 6 at approximately 5 p.m., wearing heavy winter clothing despite the summer weather.
Multiple 911 callers had expressed concern for Smith’s safety, with one caller reporting that Smith was on the ground “flailing around.”
Body camera footage reviewed by state police investigators showed Smith struggling to breathe while being handcuffed on the ground.
The three officers placed restraints on Smith while he remained prone, according to the lawsuit documentation.
Smith could barely enter the police cruiser under his own power, with his eyes closed as he gasped for air.
The lawsuit describes his condition as clearly showing signs of severe medical distress that should have prompted immediate emergency medical attention.
Officer Martin drove Smith to the Coos Bay Police Department and parked the patrol vehicle.
The lawsuit alleges Martin then left Smith inside the car with windows closed on the 68-degree day while he went inside the station building.
Oregon Live outlined that while Smith remained trapped in the increasingly hot vehicle, Martin allegedly responded to a text message stating, “I’m so ready for snuggles I feel like I haven’t seen you in a week.”
The officer also spent several minutes viewing TikTok videos on his phone during this critical period.
Dashcam footage captured Smith’s deteriorating condition when Martin eventually returned to the patrol car.
The video showed Smith unconscious and breathing in an “odd pattern” with his head tilted back, according to the lawsuit.
Martin administered Narcan, a drug designed to counteract overdoses, and called for an ambulance only after discovering Smith’s unconscious state.
Paramedics found Smith with a body temperature of 107 degrees and immediately transported him to Bay Area Hospital.
Smith died of cardiac arrest at the hospital, the New York Post noted.
The official cause of death was listed as “hyperthermia due to Methamphetamine intoxication and probable exogenous contribution from wearing multiple layers of heavy clothing.”
Family attorney Juan Chavez emphasized the severity of Smith’s condition when officers first encountered him.
“When these officers found him, he was clearly showing the signs of medical distress, and what we know when he finally did get to see a doctor is that his temperature was 107. He was hyperthermic, and he was going to die,” Chavez told KGW. “And unfortunately, he did.”
Chavex continued, “There was a 40-minute delay in getting him critical medical assistance.”
The post Family Sues After Cop Allegedly Watches TikTok, Sends Romantic Texts While Man Dies in Hot Squad Car appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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