While under the influence of drugs, Tanya Suarez blinded herself while in the custody of police, as a jail deputy was on duty and did not interfere. She sued San Diego County and won compensation amounting to $4.35 million, her lawyer confirmed.
The woman sued the jail staff of San Diego County and said that they didn’t protect her from herself after she was arrested in 2019 during a meth-induced psychotic episode.
Suarez was picked up by police while wandering outside a motel in San Ysidro, under the influence of meth. Jail records show she was in custody at the Las Colinas women’s jail in Santee. She began clawing at her eyes and was transferred to another prison cell due to her strange behavior, where she continued self-abusing as a deputy watched her.
In the lawsuit, Suarez says the deputy did not intervene when she tried to gauge out her eyeballs, and she was successful and blinded herself while in the altered state of mind.
“The money will help me work towards living independently,” Suarez said. Her lawyer, Danielle Pena, said she would like to see more accountability by San Diego County moving forward.
Notably, San Diego County jail inmate deaths have increased over the past 15 years. According to an independent review by the state’s auditor, prison officials have failed to address the underlying problems. San Diego County continues to record a high number of deaths because of self-inflicted injuries while detainees are in prison.
The auditor’s report indicates that the San Diego County Sheriff’s department, specifically, on numerous occasions, has failed to pay attention to the physical and mental health of people in their jail system. The Sheriff’s department says they have adopted new measures to address the issues, although the deaths continue to rise.
San Diego Sheriff’s spokesperson said the settlement will not erase Suarez’s pain and agony and extended the department’s deepest sympathy.