A Louisiana family has filed a lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff almost a year after deputies sat on their teen son with autism for nine minutes until he died.
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The incident took place on January 19, 2020. after 16-year-old Eric Parsa and his father, Daren Parsa had a violent altercation. Their lawsuit states that the family was leaving a laser tag arena at a local shopping center when Eric had a meltdown and started attacking his father. Deputies arrived at the scene while Daren tried to restrain his son and the officers handcuffed the teen by the hands and feet. One of the deputies held Eric in a face-down position and sat on him while another placed him in a chokehold.
As reported by TMZ, Eric’s body stopped moving and he urinated on himself, leading the deputies to turn him over. The teen was transported to a local hospital where he went into cardiac arrest and died. The lawsuit is accusing Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph P. Lopinto III and the seven deputies of negligence and excessive force along with violating the teen’s rights via the Americans with Disabilities Act.Â
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The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office claims the facts in the lawsuit are false and they will fight the claims in court. They said the officers tried to help the Parsa family during Eric’s meltdown.