4 officers denied immunity over 2017 fatal arrest attempt

By JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Four Phoenix police officers were denied qualified immunity in a lawsuit over the death of a Black man during a 2017 arrest attempt in which one officer pressed his knee into the man’s neck and shoulder area. That’s according to a newly unsealed court ruling that rejected the city’s bid to throw out claims of excessive force and wrongful death. The ruling said disputes over facts in a key moment during the encounter kept the judge from making a decision on whether the officers engaged in excessive force on Muhammad Muhaymin. The judge said officers who were restraining Muhaymin ignored his pleas that he couldn’t breathe.