Mom sues Cleveland police officers after son's death following Taser incident

CLEVELAND - A lawsuit has been filed by a mother who said her son was shocked with a Taser by Cleveland police earlier this year and later died from the events of the evening.

The incident happened on New Year's Eve 2010. Rodney Brown Sr., 40, was driving on E. 113th Street when Cleveland police stopped him for driving without headlights.

Reportedly, Brown was ordered by authorities to get out of his car and proceed to the back. Brown then questioned why he was pulled over and that's when it reportedly all began.

Police said Brown became uncooperative with them and tried fleeing on foot. Officers quickly caught up with Brown and said he resisted arrest and shocked him with a Taser repeatedly.

The lawsuit, filed by Brown's mother Shirley Brown in the U.S. District Court, alleged authorities used excessive force on her son which lead to his death. It claimed her son repeatedly told officers he couldn't breathe while being shocked witht the Taser, but they refused to let up and told him "we don't give a (expletive)."

Because a Taser was deployed that night, a police supervisor and EMS were called to the scene. Medical crews believed Brown was suffering from a heart attack and quickly rushed him to University Hospital Case Medical Center where he died at 9:45 p.m.

Brown is suing police officers Michael Chapman and Belal Ilain, plus others not named in the wrongful death lawsuit. Shirley Brown is requesting a jury trial and that she be awarded all compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees and other costs incurred.

In a related earlier lawsuit, Shirley Brown sued the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office for not turning over all public records related to her son's arrest. The case is pending before Judge Timothy McGinty in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Shirley Brown's attorney, David Malik, said likely a TaserCam of Rodney Brown's arrest by Cleveland police exists, but the video hasn't been released.