The City of Seattle has settled a civil rights lawsuit over a 2010 arrest that left a mentally ill First Hill man with permanent brain damage.

Brian Torgerson was severely beaten by police in May 2010 SPD was called to his Boren Ave apartment while the man was reportedly suffering a mental crisis episode. According to records, responding officers tased Torgerson and delivered violent blows to his face that caused him to bleed profusely:

It continued to escalate and officers called for back up. His attorney said that a spit sock was placed over Torgerson’s head as he bled and vomited. He added that at least five officers held Torgerson down with his hands cuffed and legs bound. At some point Torgerson stopped breathing and had to be revived.

The case, briefed here on the SPD blotter following the incident, became part of the Department of Justice’s findings (PDF) that Seattle Police officers routinely engaged in the use of excessive force against mentally ill suspects.

KOMO reports that the $1.75 million settlement with lawyers representing Brian’s father Darryl Torgerson is the largest since the $1.5 million paid to the family of John T. Williams.

City attorneys contend that the use of force was justified.

Brian Torgerson, now 47, continues to require ongoing care.