Ex-deputy arrested after man with disability died being put in chokehold, CA cops say

A former sheriff’s deputy was arrested after a man with a disability died after being put in a chokehold, California officials said.

Charles Blount, 61, was charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and turned himself in to the Sonoma County jail on Monday, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said, according to KTVU. He was released on $50,000 bond.

Police released a video in December showing the fatal encounter between officers and 52-year-old David Glen Ward, McClatchy News previously reported.

After officers pulled Ward through his car window, Blount slammed Ward’s head onto the car and put him in a chokehold. Police had mistakenly thought Ward was stealing the car.

Ward died later at the hospital on Nov. 27, according to NBC News.

The Marin County coroner ruled Ward’s death a homicide, saying that he died from “cardiorespiratory collapse, blunt impact injuries, neck restraint and being shocked with a Taser during a physical confrontation with law enforcement,” KTVU reported.

Ward had reported his car stolen by a man who “pistol-whipped” him but didn’t tell police that he had gotten it back. Three days after making the report, authorities got a call that his car had been spotted, The Associated Press reported.

Ward was pulled over by officers but didn’t tell them that he owned the car. He then refused to stop and fled the scene, according to the AP.

The video shows the deputies ordering Ward to put his hands up. Ward had “visible injuries on his face from the violent carjacking days earlier,” according to CBS San Francisco. He had trouble unlocking his door.

“I can’t believe this, I’m the injured party,” Ward told Blount.

Blount tried pulling Ward out of the car through the driver’s window, but Ward’s leg was stuck under the wheel. Ward then bit Blount and was shocked twice with a stun gun by another officer. Ward’s head was then slammed against the door and Blount put him in a chokehold. After Ward was unconscious, the officers pulled him through the window, placed him on the ground and handcuffed him. They attempted CPR.

Ward’s family told Kron5 that Ward was disabled “from a car accident that happened 15 years ago” and that he wasn’t able to get out of the car.

Blount was told that he was going to be fired but resigned in February during the termination process, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Ex-deputy arrested after man with disability died being put in chokehold, CA cops say."