Las Vegas pays $160K to settle abuse claim at city jail

The city of Las Vegas has agreed to pay $160,000 to settle federal claims brought by the wife of a man who went into a coma inside the city jail five years ago and never recovered.

Ronald Bynum was arrested in February 2016 in North Las Vegas for marijuana possession, obstruction and resisting arrest and, according to a federal lawsuit, thrown to the ground, beaten and stunned by police officers despite showing signs of obvious mental distress.

North Las Vegas police failed to give Bynum, 55 at the time, adequate medical attention, the lawsuit claims. Instead they took him to the Las Vegas Detention Center, which North Las Vegas used through a cooperative agreement with the city of Las Vegas.

“While there, the jailers failed to allow him treatment for his worsening medical condition, beat him and let him suffer a cardiac arrest,” the federal complaint reads, indicating that Bynum had a heart attack three days after entering the jail. “The jailers resuscitated him and sent him to Sunrise Hospital in a coma.”

Bynum has remained in a coma at a long-term care facility, according to two federal complaints filed in 2017 and 2018. It was unclear Wednesday whether his status had changed, although a city of Las Vegas staff report Wednesday indicated it had not.

The lawsuit claims that Bynum, who was “suffering from a severe mental condition,” had continued to behave erratically while in jail and was placed in administrative isolation pending a psychiatric evaluation the day after his arrival. Inside the jail, the suit said, he was chained to a bench in his cell.

On Wednesday, the Las Vegas City Council authorized the $160,000 payout to resolve all claims against the city, its former public safety chief and 36 city corrections officers, a city staff report shows.

A city spokesman declined to comment on the settlement.

Police report suggests injuries minor

Bynum’s interactions with police began when he called authorities, believing his home was being burglarized. Bynum, who was “speaking very rapidly and not speaking in clear sentences,” told three officers who arrived at the call that a man was inside his house, which Bynum allowed the officers to check, according to a police report obtained by the Review-Journal.

Officers found no one inside, but an officer did find a bag with 14.7 grams of marijuana, the report said. When officers began to ask Bynum questions, including whether he had a medical marijuana card, he reportedly became agitated, started yelling and tried to enter his house through the garage.

An officer tried to escort Bynum outside of the garage when Bynum pulled away and started to fight with police, according to the report. Officers, including one who said he used a stun gun to Bynum’s right buttock, were able to get him to the ground and into custody.

Bynum suffered a cut below his right eye and scrapes to his right wrist and he was medically cleared by an ambulance called to the scene, according to the report.

North Las Vegas, which was also sued by Bynum’s wife, settled the case against it and police personnel for no money, according to city spokesman Patrick Walker. The settlement also included no non-monetary terms, Walker said.

A message left with the office of Bynum’s lawyer on Wednesday seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.