Former Royal, Va. (AP) – The son of a 77-year-old man who died after being injured in a traffic stop in Virginia earlier this year has filed a $6 million lawsuit alleging involvement in his father’s murder. The arrests represent excessive use of force.
Ian Ennis, the son and administrator of the estate of the late Ralph Ennis, filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in August, the Northern Virginia Journal reported last week.
The defendants, Warren County Sheriff’s deputies Tyler Poe and Zachary Fadley, have separately responded to the lawsuit, denying any allegations of wrongdoing and asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed, the newspaper reported.
Ralph Ennis died in hospice in April, nearly two weeks after being injured during a traffic stop. Virginia State Police launched an investigation into the incident earlier this year.
The sheriff’s office previously said officers began tracking Ralph Ennis early on April 2 after observing him speeding and driving erratically. After initially failing to stop in a chase that lasted nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers), Ennis drove and parked his truck at a convenience store near Front Royal, according to the sheriff’s office.
The complaint claims Ralph Ennis suffers from dementia and cites body camera footage of the incident, saying that when they rammed him head-on into his car and then pushed him to the ground after he was already restrained, The deputies used excessive force against him. This resulted in traumatic and ultimately fatal brain damage, the complaint said.
However, the paper previously reported that the state medical examiner’s office ruled in August that Ralph Ennis died of natural causes, and an official declined to comment on the head injury.
The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages and $1 million in punitive damages, plus fees and costs.