Video Raises Questions About Police Chase That Left Teen Dead
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Warning: Some viewers may find some images in the video disturbing.
HAMILTON, Ga. (CBSNews) -- Newly-released video is raising questions about a high-speed police chase that ended with the death of a teenager.
It all started when Harris County sheriff's deputies approached Nicholas Dyksma's truck while responding to report of a man sleeping inside. When the 18-year-old woke up, he took off.
Dyksma led sheriff's deputies on a 10-mile chase in August 2015. When the deputies stopped his truck, they smashed his window and tased him.
"Show me your f***ing hands! Show me your f***ing hands right now!" one deputy could be heard saying in the video.
They pulled him from the truck, threw him to the ground and cuffed him. The video shows one deputy putting his knee on the back of Nicholas's neck for roughly 40 seconds. A few minutes later, they noticed he had stopped moving.
"Is he alive?" a deputy asks.
Deputies didn't start CPR until nearly 10 minutes later.
"It's heartbreaking, you know, to imagine what happened," Dyksma's mother, Tammy, said. She can't bring herself to watch the video but his parents want the public to see it, so that it never happens again.
Tammy said she feels as though her son was executed "because I think they were really rough on him. I think they were brutal to him," she said.
Dyksma's autopsy report cited three causes of death, including the use of the stun gun and compression to the neck and torso. It also said the third cause was methamphetamine intoxication.
"He made a mistake by running, he made a mistake by taking meth. That may have influenced his judgment, but last time I checked, that's not a capital offense," family attorney Craig Jones said.
"I know he shouldn't have run. I understand that. But it really wasn't their place to end his life," Tammy said.
The Dyksma family have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Harris County sheriff's office. They have not responded to calls for comments. The Harris County District Attorney's Office says the death is under investigation so they can't comment.
