SALT LAKE CITY — The family of Ryan Outlaw has filed a lawsuit against Salt Lake City and two officers who refused to provide first aid after he was stabbed in an elevator.
Outlaw was stabbed by his girlfriend Fernanda Tobar on November 13, 2020.
Tobar stayed behind and pleaded for Officer Ian Anderson and Officer Jadah Brown to provide first aid, but they chose not to.
Outlaw also begged for help.
“I can’t breathe!” he yelled.
WATCH: Despite training, SLCPD stands over a stabbing victim instead of giving first aid
It took officers approximately 27 minutes to respond after the first 911 call. Officer Brown and Officer Anderson stood over Outlaw for approximately eight more minutes, asking questions and issuing commands.
Outlaw was eventually transported to a local hospital where he died.
Both officers were trained in first aid and had medical equipment in their patrol vehicles.
FOX 13 News first discovered body camera video of the incident last year when officers voiced their concerns. Reporting prompted the city to place Officer Anderson and Officer Brown under an internal affairs investigation, although Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Erin Mendenhall publicly supported the officers’ actions.
The department eventually cleared both officers of all wrongdoing. The Salt Lake City Civilian Review Board also reviewed the case but reached “no determination.”
WATCH: These officers are under investigation, but Salt Lake City can’t get its story straight
According to the lawsuit, attorneys for the Outlaw family believe Officer Anderson and Officer Brown would have followed their training and given first aid if the victim was a police officer stabbed in an elevator. They are labeling the inaction as “deliberate indifference” to Outlaw’s medical needs.
“Why are you letting him just lay like that?” Tobar asked.
“We’re not paramedics,” Officer Anderson responded. “We have medical on the way.”
“I feel like I should have grabbed my chest thing,” Officer Brown later said on the recording. “I feel like I should have grabbed my chest thing, but there was just so much going on at that moment.”
Outlaw has four children.
In a statement, Salt Lake City said Tuesday they had no comment on the "matter at this time."