TACOMA, Wash. — Two Tacoma police officers involved in the death of Manuel Ellis are accused of using excessive force in an unrelated incident three months before their fatal encounter with Ellis.
Timothy Rankine and Masyih Ford are named in a new tort claim against the city of Tacoma, stemming from the 2019 arrest of Dustin Dean.
A cellphone video shows the officers dragging Dean down a flight of stairs before Rankine kneels on his back as he lies prone, complaining the officers are hurting him.
The tort claim, a precursor to filing a lawsuit, seeks $500,000 in damages. Lawyers for the two officers declined to comment.
