Stanislaus County is being sued in federal court for the alleged wrongful death of a homeless man after an encounter with law enforcement that was described in court filings as “an unjustified and excessive display of force.”
Anthony Silva, 40, was detained by Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office deputies at the Riverbank Community Center on Oct. 8, 2022, during the city’s Cheese and Wine Festival. While handcuffed, Silva was “forcibly slammed” to the ground as he was searched, according to the complaint filed on his family’s behalf.
Silva’s neck broke as a result — rendering him paralyzed from the neck down. He was moved from the ground to a bench, where he remained until medical care arrived about a half-hour later. Silva died from his injuries almost a year later on Sept. 10, 2023.
“These tragic events are a direct consequence of the deeply flawed policies and practices at the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department,” the complaint reads. “The department’s inadequate and deficient training procedures have not only failed to prevent such instances of excessive force, but also, the department has ratified the unconstitutional conduct of their officers time and time again.”