BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The son of a man who died while in Bellingham police custody in 2018 has filed a precursor to a lawsuit with the city over his father’s death. Documents obtained by The Bellingham Herald say Joshua Eldard filed a claim in March seeking $1 million in damages for Robert Eldard’s death. The city has not yet responded to Joshua Eldard’s claim but city officials said they plan to respond. In the claim, it says less than eight minutes transpired from the time Eldard was restrained on the ground by Bellingham Police officers to the time he lost consciousness. The Whatcom County Medical Examiner said cardiac complications caused by acute methamphetamine use led to Robert Eldard’s death.
Family seeks $1M after man died in Bellingham police custody
