Four Salt Lake City police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of a man they were attempting to arrest in April.
Salt Lake County District Attorney David E. Yocom wrote in a letter to Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank that he found "no officer intentionally deployed deadly force." Alvin Itula, 35, died at the hospital on April 21 after he ran from police, was beaten with a baton, sprayed with pepper spray, handcuffed and twice Tasered.
Medical examiners found that at the time of his death, Itula had illegal narcotics in his body. The medical examiners determined that he died "as a consequence of excited delirium" caused by "his prolonged altercation with police," states the letter, which is dated July 20.
Officers Aaron Broomhead and Break Marino noticed Itula outside his residence the night of the incident and believing he had an outstanding felony warrant, they initiated the arrest. The warrant was later determined to have been cleared before the altercation took place.
However, Itula ran from police, and they determined that force, along with help from backup officers Justin Hudson and Yette Zayas, was necessary to detain him for arrest.
According the district attorney's office, the four officers were justified by a Utah statute that says a police officer can use any level of force, despite being deadly, "to effect an arrest or to defend himself or another from bodily arm while making an arrest."
The four officers involved were placed on administrative leave while the case was investigated.
Reports by the FBI, which is investigating any civil-rights violations, have yet to be returned on the case. The Utah branches of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have questioned whether Itula was treated unfairly because he was Samoan, and have called for the extensive investigations.
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com