Family Of Man Who Died In Police Custody While On PCP Sue Village

OAK PARK, IL — The family of a man who died in police custody last summer is suing the villages of Oak Park and Forest Park, whose misconduct they say is to blame for 27-year-old Dajuan Gates' death.

Gates was pulled over for rolling a stop sign on Aug. 22, 2020, at around 4:20 p.m. By 4:41 p.m., paramedics pronounced him officially brain dead. In the time between, captured on multiple bodycam and dashcam tapes, Gates told police he needed help as he suffered complications from being high on PCP.

The complaint was filed on July 19 in the Circuit Court of Cook County and alleges Gates showed multiple symptoms of needing medical aid. According to police reports of the incident, Rush Oak Park Hospital was less than 100 feet away from where Gates was detained.

The lawsuit alleges that once someone is in police custody, officers have a duty to protect the health of that detained citizen.

"This is particularly true when the person is experiencing a medical emergency as was Dajuan Gates," said Dan Kotin of Tomasik, Kotin, Kasserman LLC, the firm representing Gates' family. "He was in and out of consciousness, unable to stand or even sit upright. It is outrageous that no help was called, particularly when the emergency room was only 60 feet away. They could have carried him in there."

Officials from Oak Park told Patch they were not aware of the lawsuit. While the Cook County Medical Examiner's office determined Gates died from multi-organ failure due to hyperthermia caused by the PCP, Gates' family says the death was entirely preventable.

"If he had been treated in the emergency room even minutes earlier, he would have been
intubated, cooled, and given IV fluids," said Phil Terrazzino, another attorney
representing the family. "In all likelihood, he would have walked out of the hospital the
next day."

Gates left behind three daughters and two sons when he died, ranging from newborn to 10 years old.