CAMDEN  — The family of Phillip White , the Vineland man who died in police custody in 2015, filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday against the Vineland Police Department for $10 million.

The lawsuit alleges that Vineland Police Department, Chief Timothy Codispoti, Officer Richard Janasiak and Officer Louis Platania violated White’s rights when they arrested him on March 31, 2015, fabricated statements about the incident, illegally confiscated bystander cellphones that captured the arrest and intimidated witnesses.

White’s estate filed the lawsuit , administrated by his mother Pamela White for his daughter Iyonna Hannah, his son Tyreese Henschke and his son’s guardian Tamyra Downing.

A Cumberland County Grand Jury chose on June 8 not to indict officers Janasiak and Platania  for White’s death. According to Codispoti, both men have returned to duty. Codispoti declined to comment further on the case.

Vineland police were dispatched on March 31, 2015, to West Grape Street for reports of a man acting erratic. When police arrived they found White, 33, of Vineland. According to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office investigation, White was acting erratic and this led to a struggle with police to arrest him. After being subdued by the Vineland officers and a police dog, authorities transported White to a nearby hospital. While en route, White went into cardiac arrest and he was pronounced dead at Inspira Medical Center Vineland.

According to authorities, White was acting erratic on the day of his arrest because he had ingested the drug PCP  and during a struggle with police he attempted to reach for an officer’s handgun. The medical examiner’s report stated that White’s cause of death was caused by the PCP and any wounds from the arrest were superficial and not the cause of death.

Bystanders captured White’s arrest on video , fueling questions about the use of force by police and a police dog in the incident.

According to the lawsuit, White was raising his voice while speaking to a friend and apologized for his loudness previous to police arrival. White was not aggressive with police when they arrived, the lawsuit continues, and as he attempted to walk away he was grabbed by police and thrown into a car and onto the ground — where the attack continued.

The lawsuit further alleges that White’s arrest is a result of the disproportionate use of force against black and Hispanic members of the Vineland community. A trial by jury is demanded.

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