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The City of Tulsa has agreed to a payment of $175,000 with the family of Joshua Harvey, the man who died in a hospital after Tulsa Police tased him over two dozen times.
Harvey’s family filed a lawsuit almost two years ago against the City of Tulsa as well as members of the Tulsa Police Department alleging his constitutional rights were violated when he was tased 27 times by police.
In their lawsuit, the family claimed that TPD officers knew Harvey was mentally impaired, yet still tased him over two dozen times in the span of under three minutes.
According to the family and court documents, Harvey suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and was having a mental health crisis when police contacted him the afternoon of August 24, 2018.
Money won’t bring back Joshua Harvey after Tulsa police murdered him
Officers first made contact with Harvey in the middle of an intersection attempting to detain him but saying “let’s just follow him, he hasn’t done anything yet, just acting crazy” after Harvey had broken away.
About a minute later officers catch back up to Harvey who had just shattered the glass door to an Arvest bank. Two officers deployed their tasers while other officers attempted to handcuff Harvey.
The department’s use-of-force report said Tulsa police officers used their tasers on Harvey 27 times in under three minutes. Harvey lost consciousness and died three days later at a hospital.
According to the family’s attorneys, none of the officers involved were ever disciplined for their actions. Harvey’s family said this incident is a clear example why the city needs to implement something like an Office of the Independent Monitor to oversee TPD use-of-force cases.
Tulsa’s City Council recently tabled a vote to incorporate an OIM for Tulsa police, citing more time needed to gather information before a full vote.
The $175,000 will come from the city’s sinking fund, which is an account established to pay legal settlements through ad valorem taxes.