CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Garfield Heights man’s death was ruled a homicide after police officers handcuffed him, rolled him on his stomach and pressed on his back while he suffered a severe reaction from drug and alcohol consumption, according to a lawsuit and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner.
Carl Ryan Gold shouted, “Help now!” as one officer kneeled on the backs of his knees and another pushed down on his back, according to the lawsuit filed last month in federal court in Cleveland.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled Gold’s death a homicide and attributed his Dec. 23, 2024 death to “acute drug and ethanol toxicity with physical exertion complicated by physical restraint and terminal airway compromise.” His death certificate listed “legal intervention” as a reason for his death…