A Chicago-area woman, Felicea Williams, 42, has died after spending five months in a coma that began during her arrest by police in January, and her family has now said they intend to sue in pursuit of justice. The case matters because it raises questions about the level of force used by officers during the detention and the circumstances that left Williams with a fatal brain injury.

Williams was arrested on 5 January on the Chicago-Evanston border following a reported altercation at the American Ale House at around 9.40pm. Police said she had already been injured in an assault involving two men and was linked to a nearby stabbing inquiry, and that she was found bleeding from facial injuries and fleeing into traffic. Officers allege she resisted detention, spat blood into an officer's mouth and tried to bite another, and that force was used to restrain her before she suddenly became unresponsive. Despite lifesaving efforts she never recovered from what doctors described as severe brain injury consistent with oxygen deprivation, and she was later charged with three counts before her death.