The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has cleared two Black Hawk County Deputies and a Bremer County Deputy for their use of force in an incident in December in which a man died while in their custody. A Waterloo Police officer attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by Willie Washington for a defective brake light. Washington failed to pull over and sped away. Black Hawk County Deputies eventually picked up the chase as it headed north out of the city and towards Bremer County. Bremer County Deputies deployed stop sticks, which disabled Washington’s car. The Attorney General’s report says Washington was combative and verbally abusive as law enforcement attempted to place him under arrest. Because of his size two sets of handcuffs were utilized. As soon as he was placed on the ground he complained of not being able to breath, at which point deputies called for medical assistance. Deputies turned Washington on his side and found he was unresponsive. Washington officially died of a combination of cardiorespiratory arrest, an elarged heart, obesity, methamphetamine use, and positioning. Washington’s heart was determined to be twice the size of a normal heart.
