"Controversial Defense Claims Black Man 'Created His Own Death' in Trial of Tacoma Police Officers"

Attorneys for three Washington state police officers on trial for the death of Manuel Ellis argued that Ellis died due to drug use and not excessive force, claiming that he "created his own death." Ellis, a Black man, died in 2020 after being restrained by police officers who used a Taser, choked him, and held him facedown on the ground while handcuffed. The officers' lawyers argued that Ellis's addiction to methamphetamine made him violent and unpredictable, and that the officers were trying to defuse the situation. Prosecutors, however, presented witness testimonies and videos contradicting the officers' version of events. The trial is the first of Washington state officers charged in an on-duty death since a 2018 measure lowered the legal threshold for such crimes.