A statewide grand jury declined to bring charges against members of the Westerly Police Department in the arrest and death of a Connecticut man, the Rhode Island attorney general said Wednesday.
Ryan O'Loughin, of Mystic, was arrested June 9 after a physical confrontation with police outside a bar on High Street in Westerly. He died later that day.
A lawyer for the family said O'Loughlin died as a result of excessive force.
A police report obtained by NBC 10 showed that pepper spray and a baton were used on O'Loughlin, who died suddenly in a Connecticut hospital about 16 hours after his arrest.
Family attorney Mark Dana said O'Loughlin never tried to resist the officers.
O'Loughlin was arraigned on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and was released on bond. After returning home, he was taken to a hospital, where he died that afternoon.
The statewide grand jury found the actions of the officers were legally justified.
"It is now clear that those officers were doing their jobs in accordance with their training and we are grateful that this matter has been brought to a conclusion," said a joint statement from the town manager and police chief of Westerly.
Dana told The Associated Press that O'Loughlin's family is "extremely distraught" by the grand jury's finding.
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