Lawsuit claims West Mifflin cops left hurt New Kensington man in holding cell without medical care, leading to death

West Mifflin police officers left a visibly injured assault victim untreated in a holding cell for more than nine hours after arresting him last summer, leading to his death three days later, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Monday.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, alleges West Mifflin and seven police officers were at fault in the July 8, 2024, death of Timothy Duc Tho Vong.

Officers watched as Vong crawled around in his cell, kicking and flinching in “pain and agony” from a head injury, but did not intervene or render aid, according to the complaint.

Vong’s family alleges the police department lacked policies and training for officers governing how to handle people in custody.

As a result, according to the lawsuit, the 31-year-old man from New Kensington was left to suffer from “untreated brain hemorrhaging culminating in his slow and painful death.”

An autopsy report found Vong died from untreated trauma to his face and head, the complaint said.

The lawsuit also alleges Vong was handcuffed so tightly his wrists were cut and bleeding.

“Obviously we’re all devastated by what happened,” Jonathan Nguyen, Vong’s cousin, said during a press conference Monday in Downtown Pittsburgh at the offices of lawyer Alec Wright.

He was joined by about 20 of Vong’s relatives, some of whom cried as Nguyen recalled how Vong, a father of two who worked as a roofer, would always make people laugh.

Wright filed the lawsuit on behalf of Angie Vong Lookabill, Vong’s aunt and the administrator of his estate.

The complaint names as defendants two people it said were West Mifflin police officers during the incident, Ronald Bobick and someone identified only by the last name Cheslock. It also lists five unnamed defendants — John Doe police officers 1-5.

Phil DiLucente, the solicitor for West Mifflin, said he and other borough officials cannot comment on pending litigation.

‘Devastated’ family

A West Mifflin police arrest report provided to TribLive by Wright indicates Vong was arrested July 5, 2024, at 2:56 a.m. in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.

The heavily redacted report states Vong was being charged by a non-traffic citation with public drunkenness, a summary offense.

Robert Runge, who was listed as the victim in the police report, told TribLive he never spoke to Vong and his only involvement in the incident was calling police when someone banged on his door at 3 a.m.

Wright said the police blacked out almost the entire page-long narrative describing what happened.

According to the lawsuit, Vong was assaulted early that morning while celebrating the Fourth of July with friends.

The lawsuit offers no details about the assault, but said Vong’s head, face and neck were bruised, swollen and cut.

Vong approached homes and a gas station seeking medical help, the lawsuit said. Police who responded to calls about Vong found him “injured, disoriented, delirious and seeking medical attention.”

They arrested him around 3:05 a.m.

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.”

Rather than providing medical assistance, officers left Vong “without justification” in a West Mifflin Police Department holding cell for about nine hours, the complaint said.

There were no medical assessments, monitoring or in-person cell checks, and eventually Vong lost consciousness on the cell floor.

When officers eventually found him unconscious, 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 West Mifflin police report lists Vong as being from New Kensington. Wright said Vong was living with his mother there.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, however, said Vong was from Glassport. Wright said he believes that’s where the mother of Vong’s children lived.

‘He should be alive’

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Allegheny County Police investigated Vong’s death and turned over their findings to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, according to Jim Madalinsky, a county police spokesperson.

The DA’s office declined comment Monday.

Mourning relatives keep photos of Vong in their homes and cars, Nguyen, Vong’s cousin, said.

“He was a great person. Everyone has their flaws. Everyone hangs out with people they shouldn’t hang out with, be in places that they probably shouldn’t be in. That shouldn’t be a death sentence,” Nguyen said.

He questioned why officers didn’t help Vong as he sat in a holding cell, seriously injured, for hours.

“He shouldn’t be dead right now,” Nguyen said. “He should be alive.”