BEAUMONT – The parents of a man who was allegedly beaten to death at a Port Arthur hospital more than a year ago have filed a lawsuit.
Olga and Marco Delacruz brought the federal suit against Port Arthur, its police department, Officer Lane Cherry, several unidentified officers, and the Medical Center of Southeast Texas, L.P. on Jan. 9 in the Beaumont District of the Eastern Division of Texas.
Court papers claim Manuel Delacruz went to Medical Center on Aug. 1, 2016, but the staff turned him away, adding the decedent suffered from schizophrenia.
“Due to his severe illness, Manuel had to have a court order against him to allow him to be checked into the defendant Medical Center of Southeast Texas’s hospital,” the original petition says.
The plaintiffs reportedly complied with the request, and Port Arthur police dispatched officers to the hospital.
Rather than take control of the situation, the suit explains, Cherry, the unnamed officers, and the facility’s agents “used excessive force in trying to detain Manuel.”
His parents assert the events in question resulted in their son’s passing.
Consequently, the complainants seek unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
They are represented by Muhammad S. Aziz of the law firm Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz in Houston.
Beaumont Division of the Eastern District of Texas Case No. 1:18-CV-0011