A federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges civil rights violations by West Mifflin and several of its police officers in connection with the death of a man last summer whose family claims he did not receive necessary medical attention while kept in a holding cell for more than nine hours.
Timothy Duc Tho Vong’s head, face and neck were bruised, swollen and cut from a prior assault when West Mifflin police arrested him July 5, 2024, according to the complaint.
Vong, 31, of New Kensington, had been going door to door in a residential neighborhood around 3 a.m. to seek help when he was arrested, the lawsuit said.
Rather than providing medical assistance, officers left Vong in a West Mifflin Police Department holding cell for about nine hours, the complaint said.
Vong bled, lost consciousness on the cell floor and died three days later according to the lawsuit.
His family blames West Mifflin police for failing to train officers for medical screenings, health and safety checks or other measures.
The family also is suing several officers involved in the incident, arguing their failure to get Vong the medical help he needed led to his death.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh by his aunt, Angie Vong Lookabill, who is listed as the administrator of Vong’s estate.
It names two people the lawsuit said were West Mifflin police officers during the incident, Ronald Bobick and someone identified only by the last name Cheslock. It also names five unnamed officers listed as John Doe police officers 1-5.
Phil DiLucente, the solicitor for West Mifflin, said he and other borough officials cannot comment on pending litigation.
Vong was assaulted early July 5 while celebrating the Fourth of July with friends, the lawsuit said. He approached homes and a gas station seeking medical help.
West Mifflin police officers found him around 3:05 a.m. and arrested him.
The lawsuit indicated Vong had “visible injuries to his face, head and neck including lacerations, bleeding and bruising that were consistent with significant trauma, including blunt force trauma” and was disoriented and delirious when he was arrested.
Rather than rendering aid, officers arrested Vong “without justification” and placed him a holding cell at the police station, the lawsuit said.
No one provided any treatment for his injuries or called for medical help.
According to the lawsuit, officers watched Vong call for help while crawling around the floor of his cell, unable to stand. There were no in-person cell checks, and eventually Vong became unconscious and unresponsive, the lawsuit alleges.
When officers eventually found him unconscious on the holding cell floor, they did not conduct CPR, chest compressions, rescue breaths or other basic first aid efforts, the lawsuit claims. Officers did not even check for a pulse, according to the complaint.
Vong went into a coma and died three days later, the lawsuit said.
The suit cites an autopsy report that confirmed Vong died from untreated trauma to his face and head. The lawsuit also alleges Vong was handcuffed so tightly he was bleeding and cut on his wrists.
A news conference is scheduled for later Monday morning by Alec Wright, the lawyer representing Vong’s family.
Wright said no one has been arrested in connection with the assault on Vong, a father of two.