The mother of a man who died in police custody while high on angel dust has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the city for $1.25 million, the Daily News has learned.
The mom sued the city last year, accusing NYPD officers of using excessive force to restrain her son, Ron Singleton, after a cab driver complained that he was acting erratically and screaming in the back seat of the taxi near St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The mom, Rebecca Singleton, filed a petition on Sept. 15 in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, asking a judge to approve the settlement amount.
Her son, Ron Singleton, 45, died on July 13, 2014, after NYPD officers placed him in a makeshift straitjacket. Police said Singleton fought with cops when they approached him.
A month later, the city medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide brought on “by physical restraint by police during excited delirium.” Singleton’s heart disease and obesity also factored into his death, officials said.
Singleton’s death came four days before Eric Garner died when an NYPD officer placed him in a chokehold while trying to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes in Staten Island. Garner’s family received a $5.9 million wrongful death settlement from the city.
In her lawsuit, Singleton’s mom accused cops of throwing her son — who was high on PCP — to the ground and handcuffing him. When officers pinned him to the ground, “he is reported to have let out a blood-curdling scream and immediately became limp and unmoving,” the lawsuit says.
Then ESU officers put him in a protective body wrap and placed him facedown on the street, the lawsuit says.
The officers refused requests from both EMTs and FDNY paramedics to remove Singleton from the wrap and to turn him on his back so he could be evaluated, according to the lawsuit.
While in the back of an ambulance, Singleton — a father of three — went into cardiac arrest and died a short time later at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center.
The petition in surrogate’s court says that Singleton’s wife, Lyn Warren, will get $450,230 from the settlement. Two of his children who were minors at the time of his death will receive payments of $151,456 and $192,566.
The remainder will go to attorney fees and to Rebecca Singleton, for her services as the administrator of her son’s estate, the petition says.
Rebecca Singleton’s lawyer, Bonita Zelman, did not respond to a request for comment.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment. The city Law Department issued a statement.
“After a thorough evaluation of all the facts and evidence in connection with this unfortunate incident, we determined that a settlement was in the best interest of all parties,” a Law Department spokesman said.
Ronald Singleton had 61 arrests on his record, including busts for assault and weapon possession. Warren previously told The News that Singleton had a history of drug abuse and panicked around cops.
“He was never good with police,” she said. “He always went into hysterics — this is before he even started indulging.”
