Lawsuit: Police officers' use of force in Seattle suburb led to death

Wengsheng Leng in downtown Issaquah. Wengsheng Leng in downtown Issaquah. Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Loevy & Loevy Attorneys At Law Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Loevy & Loevy Attorneys At Law Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Lawsuit: Police officers' use of force in Seattle suburb led to death 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

Two Issaquah police officers were accused of killing a 66-year-old man through unjustified use of force by a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Wangshen Leng, who had emigrated from China in 2010 with his wife Liping Yang, was sitting in his Issaquah apartment on Aug. 5, 2018 when two officers allegedly entered it while responding to a 911 call, documents said.

Both officers were still employed by the Issaquah Police Department, police spokesperson Paula Schwan said in an email Friday. The officers were not disciplined because the officers' actions were determined to be within department policy.

The officers were responding to a domestic violence situation, the Issaquah Police Department said in a statement. There were reports from a neighbor of raised voices and items being thrown, and police said when they entered, Leng was holding his wife from behind.

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The lawsuit refuted this and said when the officers arrived they didn't hear any shouting and didn't talk to the 911 caller.

The officers walked into the apartment, and allegedly grabbed Leng's arms, not being able to understand him as he was speaking Cantonese. They then threw him onto the couch, documents said, and handcuffed him, bending his spine. He then went limp.

Police said the officers held Leng "by the arms and moved him to a couch to safely handcuff him," where they realized he needed medical assistance and called Eastside Fire and Rescue. When they got there, they transported Leng to a hospital.

Leng had suffered injuries so severe, he had to have emergency surgery, documents said. He suffered from a "debilitating spinal fracture and permanent orthostatic hypotension," that at the least would have had him living in a wheelchair the rest of his life.

The King County Medical Examiner confirmed Sept. 5 that Leng died from the injuries of Aug. 5, and documents said it was ruled a homicide.

The Issaquah Police Department was notified Sept. 7 of Leng's death and said they requested an investigation from an outside agency. The King County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation that was still ongoing, KCSO spokesperson Ryan Abbott said Friday in an email.

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There was no warrant to enter or search the home, a violation of Leng's fourth amendment, documents said. Police said the officers were required to investigate all domestic violence calls, and that they entered the apartment to further the investigation.

Their was also a cover-up claimed by the lawsuit, that the officers "minimized their actions" in sworn police reports that claimed there was no injuries as the result of their arrest of Leng. The officers were the ones who called for medical assistance.

"The City of Issaquah found no problems with the use of force or the false arrest of Mr. Leng in this case, including no departures from training," documents said. "The Defendant Officers were not reprimanded or disciplined in any way for their interactions with Mr. Leng or Mrs. Yang."

SeattlePI reporter Alex Halverson can be reached at alex.halverson@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlexHalversonPI. Find more from Alex here.