Family of Alabama man who died after being tased in police restraint chair settles lawsuit
The family of an Alabama man who died in police custody has settled a lawsuit against City of Guntersville and its police officers.
According to WAFF, attorneys for the family of Travis Banks reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount on Tuesday.
“The case has amicably resolved and will be dismissed,” the attorneys said in a statement.
The suit was filed in federal court in January 2022 seeking damages.
Travis Banks, 28, died July 31, 2021 at Marshall Medical Center North, where he was transferred after becoming unresponsive at the Guntersville City Jail.
His family said Banks, who was diagnosed with an unspecified psychotic disorder in 2018, was put in a restraint chair after eating paint chips and banging his head on the walls of his cell.
While in the chair, the family claimed, Banks was tased by officers.
According to the suit, filed by Bank’s mother Annisa, Banks was arrested at 2:45 a.m. on July 30, 2021 for disorderly conduct by Guntersville police and placed in an isolation cell. His family claimed he had a psychotic episode, leading to his arrest.
The suit stated that, in the cell, he began running into the walls, banging his head on them and ingesting some of the paint from the walls. Then, the suit stated, he was put into restraints.
The following day, sometime between 12:00 a.m. and 3:15 a.m., police brought him to another room where he could be watched on camera. Shortly after, he collapsed.
He was pronounced dead later that morning from a heart attack and renal failure.