CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Division of Police has announced disciplinary action against the two officers involved in the death of Tanisha Anderson.
Officer Scott Aldridge has been suspended for 10 days and officer Bryan Myers has received a written warning, the city announced during a news conference Monday.
A grand jury exonerated Aldridge and Myers in February and the city reached a $2.25 million settlement with Anderson’s family last year.
Anderson, 37, died while in police custody in November 2014. Anderson’s family called police because she was having a mental health episode. When the officers arrived, they placed her in handcuffs as Anderson struggled with them. The officers forced Anderson face-down to the ground and one put a knee into her back before she lost consciousness. She later died at a hospital.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled Anderson’s death a homicide by legal intervention and physical restraint in a prone position, adding that a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and heart disease were also factors.
Anderson’s relatives claimed the officers used excessive force and that she suffered from schizophrenia.
The department also announced disciplinary actions against three other officers for a series of uninvestigated crimes within the sex crimes and child abuse unit.