Family of man who died in police custody suing West Mifflin Borough
The family of a man who died after being in police custody is now suing the borough of West Mifflin.
"We filed a lawsuit against the West Mifflin Police Department, as well as other individual officers," said Alec Wright, the family's attorney.
This civil complaint alleges that officers didn't provide Timothy Vong with the proper care while he was in their custody.
The 31-year-old Vong was arrested on public drunkenness charges after getting into a fight with someone in the early morning hours of July 5, 2024.
Allegheny County police say the other person drove Vong to a different location and left after he regained consciousness.
A short time later, police responded to a report of a drunk man trying to break into a home.
"Everybody has their flaws, everyone hangs out with people that they shouldn't hang out with, being places that they shouldn't be, but that should be a death sentence," said Vong's cousin, Jonathan Nguyen.
The attorney claims that Vong was visibly injured when he was taken into custody, but officers didn't get him medical attention. They instead took him to the West Mifflin Police Department, put him in a holding cell, and allegedly ignored his calls for help.
Around 12:30 p.m., Vong was found unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He died five days later.
The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
"Why didn't you help my cousin, dying on the floor in your cell? Why didn't the officers who arrested him and put him there, why didn't they do anything? He was crawling around for hours," Nguyen said.
Allegheny County police have completed the investigation into the incident and have handed everything over to the district attorney's office.
A spokesperson for the district attorney said they can't comment on the matter.
Family and friends say they want justice.
"The guy that killed him, the guy that hurt him, he's still out here just walking around like nothing ever happened while we've been mourning, suffering," Nguyen said.
A representative for borough officials said they can't comment on pending litigation.
