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A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of an Indiana deputy who died after he was allegedly choked, hit, and body-slammed during cadet training, Law & Crime reports.
According to the lawsuit, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Asson Hacker died in 2023 while participating in a mandatory training program with the Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (SWILEA) called "The Big Fight."
Trainees were allegedly set up in a circle similar to a UFC-style fight at Club Bushido, a martial arts training center in Evansville, Indiana. During the "Big Fight," each cadet was assigned a veteran police officer for their fight, but Hacker was paired with a "substantially larger" instructor, the lawsuit states.
The instructor allegedly proceeded to “choke, strangle, hit, punch, kick, and body slam Hacker" as spectators looked on. The lawsuit states Hacker's trainer impeded his ability to breathe and used physical tactics that would be deemed as excessive force by department standards.
According to the suit, a second instructor, who acted as a "coach," failed to stop the fight and encouraged it to continue for more than seven minutes.
The fight allegedly left Hacker motionless on the floor. The lawsuit further alleges that Hacker displayed "obvious signs" that he needed "immediate medical assistance" but he wasn't taken to the hospital until several more fights took place.
“Despite obvious signs that Hacker needed immediate medical assistance, no meaningful assistance was provided to Hacker for a significant period of time,” court documents said. Hacker died the same day.
A coroner cited Hacker's cause of death as “exertional sickling” due to sickle cell trait.
The lawsuit, filed by Hacker’s widow, Kourtney Hacker, names the Evansville Police Department, the city, SWILEA, and the two training officers.
According to the lawsuit, the instructor's behavior was “willful and wanton and/or criminally reckless.”
“The ‘Big Fight’ was not a legitimate training exercise but rather a state-sponsored hazing event that created an obviously dangerous situation,” the lawsuit states.
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