![Cassandra Johnson, Tanisha Anderson's mother, speaks to reporters outside Cleveland city hall on Feb. 6. [Nick Castele / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6c49dd3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x520+0+0/resize/840x446!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F2%2F06%2F0206johnson.jpg)
The city of Cleveland has reached a $2.25 million settlement with the family of Tanisha Anderson.
Anderson was experiencing a mental health crisis in November 2014 when her family called police for assistance. Officers tried to place her in their car to transport Anderson to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. After a struggle, she became unresponsive. EMS found her in handcuffs and transported her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Her family’s lawsuit against the city accuses the officers of throwing Anderson to the ground. In a court filing, the city’s attorneys deny this.
The Cuyahoga County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, saying heart disease and restraint in the prone position were contributing factors.
Anderson’s family is asking police to adopt new policies meant to prevent officers from causing death or injury while restraining people.
At a news conference, Anderson’s mother, Cassandra Johnson, said she wanted to help people who experienced what her daughter did.
“I’m going to continue to fight for the rights of all mentally ill,” Johnson said. “I can’t bring Tanisha back, but there are more, many many more, who need this kind of help, and that is my goal.”
The Ohio attorney general’s office is acting as special prosecutor in the case, but has not yet announced whether it will seek criminal charges against the officers.
The city of Cleveland is not commenting on the settlement.
