Justice Dept. Probes Nevada Jail Deaths
L A S V E G A S, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Justice Department plans to review the death of a French man who collapsed in jail after a violent struggle with guards.
Philippe Le Menn's death on Jan. 4 will form part of thedepartment's ongoing investigation into conditions at the ClarkCounty jail, Justice Department spokeswoman Casey Stavropoulos saidWednesday. She refused to provide details.
Le Menn, a 33-year-old restaurant manager, is the 24th jailinmate to die from suicide or "natural causes" since the JusticeDepartment began its probe in 1997. Autopsy results regarding the Frenchman's death are pending.
Security-camera footage, parts of which aired on a CBS News report, showed the 6-foot-2, 300-pound Le Menn going limp afterfive guards repeatedly pushed him and squirted him with pepperspray during a struggle.
Erratic Behavior
Le Menn, an illegal immigrant from France, was arrested fordisorderly conduct hours earlier after police said he grabbed achild and banged on the doors of a school bus. Friends said he'dbeen acting erratically days before his death.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada said Le Menn wasunnecessarily beaten by guards and Le Menn's cousin, Philip Moreau,alleges he died of head injuries during the struggle.
But the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, whichadministers the jail, denied Le Menn was beaten to death andsaid the coroners' report would show whether a crime was committed.
The Attorney General's office said Wednesday it would wait forthe coroner's ruling before deciding whether to launch its owninvestigation.
Deputy Police Chief Bill Young, who oversees operations at the12-story facility, said that since 1997 and prior to Le Menn's death, there have been 10 suicidesand 13 deaths from natural causes — anything from heart attack toinjuries sustained in fights.
Young said he considered the numbers low, considering thejail had an average daily population of 2,325 in 2000.
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