Doug Martin’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging Oakland police used excessive force and delayed medical care during a mental health crisis in October 2025. The suit names the city of Oakland, multiple police officers, and Falck, arguing paramedic
Doug Martin died in Oakland police custody in October 2025, and the lawsuit filed by his parents says the story didn’t end with a struggle—it ended with force and a delay in medical care.
The wrongful death complaint. filed Tuesday. June 23 in federal court. names the city of Oakland. multiple police officers. and Falck. an ambulance company. The parents’ allegations center on what they say happened after Leslie Martin called paramedics when she realized her son was in a mental health crisis.
According to the lawsuit. Martin “then fled and hid in a neighbor’s house two doors away. ” where Oakland police found him. The complaint says responding officers held him “face down while one or more officers pressed on his back” before turning him onto his side. where he was “unresponsive seemingly unconscious.”.
The lawsuit states that Oakland Police Department officers “used excessive force … and that force was a substantial factor in causing decedent Martin’s death.” It also alleges officers did not seek medical attention until Martin remained unresponsive because they “believed he was sleeping or pretending to be asleep.”.
When paramedics arrived, the suit says the delay—and the failure to act quickly—had already become critical. The complaint alleges that paramedics from Falck arrived more than 15 minutes later and “did not promptly provide medical care.”
Martin was 36 when he died. At the time of his death, his parents said in a statement delivered through Athletes First that they were “actively seeking medical assistance for [Martin] and had contacted local authorities for support.”
The case also points to what Oakland police said at the time. A spokesperson for the Oakland Police Department said in October that Martin “was involved in a break-in at a residence” and that “a brief struggle occurred” as officers attempted to detain him.
Oakland Police Department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Falck was also not immediately available after a message seeking comment was left.
The coroner’s process remains part of the backdrop. The Alameda County Coroner’s Office was reported as still awaiting autopsy results after extra testing was requested by Martin’s family. The coroner’s office has not yet provided confirmation in the reporting here.
The sequence laid out in the complaint puts two moments in sharp focus: the way Martin was handled after officers found him. and the point at which medical help was treated as unnecessary. In the parents’ account. those choices—force and timing—are inseparable from the outcome the family is now asking a federal court to address.
Doug Martin wrongful death lawsuit Oakland police excessive force mental health crisis Falck paramedics Alameda County Coroner Athletes First
So they just let him “pretend” to be asleep? Crazy.
I don’t get how this turns into cops + an ambulance company. Like if they’re already there why wait 15+ minutes? Either way sounds like negligence to me.
They said he hid in a neighbor’s house so I mean… wouldn’t he be fighting them or something? Not excusing the “face down” part but people always leave out the whole context. Mental health crisis or not, he was still on the loose.
This is why I don’t trust police during mental health calls. One story I heard was that paramedics always take forever, and now it’s over 15 minutes from Falck… like okay. Also didn’t something about 2025 get mixed up? Feels like too many delays and then suddenly it’s the lawsuit’s fault, not the system.