SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The family of a man on life support after Sacramento County deputies arrested him last week says doctors tell them he likely won't wake up.
Sherrano Stingley’s family says deputies should have de-escalated the interaction before it led to Stingley going unconscious.
It started as deputies were responding to a 911 call about a possible catalytic converter theft.
Stingley’s daughter, Dymin, lives down the block from where the arrest happened. She says her father was having a mental health crisis and frantically trying to find her home and car -- where he would sometimes seek refuge -- and got confused about his location.
Dymin tells ABC10 she is holding onto faith her father will wake up, but she is preparing for the worst possible outcome.
The family has since created a GoFundMe, where they're raising money for a memorial service and independent autopsy, "so that we can know the extent of the injuries by the Sacramento Sheriff Department," the page reads.
Background
Around 5:45 a.m. last Tuesday, Sacramento County deputies responded to a 911 call in the 7500 block of Whisperwillow Drive.
A news release from the sheriff’s office, which includes a link to body camera video, says the resident called to report someone under their work vehicle and feared the person was stealing their catalytic converter.
"My car is always open. He goes in my car, he sits in my car,” said Dymin. “So he ended up getting in a car and they're trying to put a picture up that he's trying to steal or whatever the case may be. No… he was just trying to get to me. He was not trying to hurt anybody.”
She shared video with ABC10 from a neighbor’s security camera, showing Stingley running into their yard, appearing to be talking to himself, then getting into an unlocked car in the driveway, seeming frantic and confused and staying there for less than a minute before running off to the next yard, leaving the car door open.
“I guess he just realized that this isn't where he was supposed to be and just got out the car,” said Dymin. “That neighbor did not call the cops because they knew he's not like that – he's not a bad person."
It was another neighbor who called law enforcement.
When deputies arrived, they found Stingley as he was exiting the enclosed gated front patio of the caller’s home. Deputies ordered him to the ground and he complied.
The sheriff’s office says, “as the deputy approached him to place him in handcuffs, the subject wrapped himself around the deputy’s legs and attempted to bring him to the ground.”
Deputies were not responding to a mental health call, but family and advocates say deputies could have de-escalated the situation.
"When he came out and said, 'Okay, okay,' and he got on his knees, that was an opportunity for them to sit him down and talk to him and ask him, 'Hey, what are you doing out here?' and get information from him,” said Tanya Faison, founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento. "And then peacefully tell him what they’re going to do, try to evaluate his state of mind and call the right people if they need to and then peacefully take him away with dignity instead of attacking him."
Deputies spent about three minutes trying to get Stingley in handcuffs, pinning him to the ground to get his hands behind his back. By about the fourth minute of the encounter, Stingley appeared to go unconscious.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office offered no additional comments beyond what the office released last Thursday evening.
The press release alleges Stingley was found with "cocaine, meth, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and prescription methamphetamine in his system" and had "experienced a serious medical emergency while exerting himself during the fight."
Stingley was arrested on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts of Attempted Burglary, Resisting Executive Officers, Prowling on Property of Another and Battery of a Peace Officer.
Additionally, Stingley is noted by officials as a "Prolific Offender" and has been placed on probation until 2024 for civilian battery and vandalism.
Physicians determined his prognosis was grim, according to officials. His family feels the deputies used excessive force.
Stingley's family is raising money for a memorial service and independent autopsy. That site is HERE.
