MENDOCINO CO., 2/2/26 — The family of a man who died while being arrested near Willits in June filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday against the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the Willits Police Department.
Nicholas Bakewell’s family’s lawsuit also names the sheriff’s sergeant and deputy involved in the June 5 arrest, as well as Sheriff Matt Kendall, three Willits officers and Police Chief Brian Fay.
The suit claims that the deputies and officers involved used excessive force and “unconstitutional policing practices” and failed to provide medical care to Bakewell as he lay dying on the 2000 block of Hearst Willits Road.
In September, the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office said an autopsy found Bakewell died of asphyxiation from being restrained, and a cardiac event. Contributing factors included intoxication from methamphetamine and other drugs, pre-existing medical conditions and obesity.
“Following the death of George Floyd, law enforcement agencies nationwide recognized the dangers of positional asphyxia and updated training accordingly,” said Houman Sayaghi, a lawyer representing Bakewell’s three young children and his mother.
“This case raises serious questions about whether those safeguards were followed when they mattered most,” Sayaghi said in a news release.
Kendall and Fay declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday afternoon.
At the time of his death, Bakewell was being arrested for allegedly assaulting a driver who had picked him up while he was hitchhiking northeast of Willits.
Body camera footage released by the Sheriff’s Office appears to show Bakewell resisting arrest and then being pepper sprayed and hit with a Taser. Officers from the Willits Police Department arrived and helped restrain and handcuff Bakewell.
Soon thereafter, Bakewell lost consciousness, was given CPR and the opioid overdose medication Narcan, but died at the scene at 7:42 p.m., sheriff’s officials said.
The suit alleges that he was “handcuffed, placed face-down on the pavement, and restrained while multiple officers applied significant body weight to his back and neck for an extended period.”
The defendants are being sued for wrongful death, assault and battery, negligence and violations of the California Bane Civil Rights Act.
“This case is about accountability and adherence to well-established safety principles,” Sayaghi said. “When restraint techniques known to impair breathing are used improperly, the consequences can be irreversible.”
The family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
A GoFundMe launched by a family friend in October has raised $8,441 to support the family, most of which covered the cost of Bakewell’s funeral in August.
The Mendocino Voice’s Sarah Stierch contributed to this report.
Rest in Peace Nick you didn’t deserve this,you laugh and big heart ♥ shine through.
Fix the title. Known dope fiend with a lengthy history of assaults and arrests, dies after fighting with police while high.
I’ve seen the video. In the report, “contributing factors included intoxication from methamphetamine and other drugs, pre-existing medical conditions and obesity.” And resisting should be included. There are so many different ways to respond to an individual resisting arrest. In the video, the officers did not use excessive force to subdue the suspect. Had he not attacked the good samaritan, who had helped him with a ride, the whole incident wouldn’t have happened. Had he cooperated with the officers, the whole incident wouldn’t have happened. It is unfortunate that his death happened, but the series of decisions he made, not the officers, contributed to the fatal outcome.
Well if we use our way back machine and review our history we will see that in 2014 deputies caused the death of another Willits man in custody. The multimillion dollar lawsuit was settled and there were agreements from the sheriff’s office to retrain all deputies to avoid doing exactly what was shown on the latest video. It’s a slam dunk for the family and yet they’ll be dragged through the mud like the family in 2014. It went on years with former sheriff Allman blaming the victim until he secured election one last time. Then he folded like a paper plate and the insurance paid out. Since Kendall isn’t seeking office again maybe the county will have mercy and pay sooner than later.
I saw that video too. I’m pretty sure it’s the same guy I’m talking about. I think this shit needs to stop. You know I’ve known some acquaintance that have ended up dead by going even to Ukiah jail and then I watch the videos when they tease people to death pretty much or shoot them. It’s pretty incredible. It makes me sick to my stomach. Things were not like that 30 or 40 yrs ago here we had good cops.