
Less-than-lethal force
Thomas Purdy was having emotional/mental crisis in the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, where he was a guest. He was restrained and arrested by security guards and Reno police officers. He was left hogtied in receiving at the Washoe County jail, allegedly high on methamphetamine and complaining he couldn't breathe. Washoe County paid $100,000, Peppermill casino paid $50,000, and the city of Reno paid $25,000 to settle wrongful death lawsuits. Reports don't state categorically whether he was booked, so this incident may be outside of FatalEncounters dataset, which does not include individuals after they've been booked into the jail or prison system.
This record exists so that Thomas Joseph Purdy Jr., and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.
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