BOSTON – The FBI will investigate whether Boston police used excessive force while arresting a man who later stopped breathing during Celtics championship celebrations.
David Woodman stopped breathing while in custody and died 11 days after police say they spotted him drinking from an open container of what they believed was alcohol.
An FBI spokeswoman said Monday that the agency's investigation will not begin until Suffolk County prosecutors finish their own probe into the death of the 22-year-old Brookline man.
Spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz says it is not unusual for the FBI to review possible civil rights violations, which can includes the use of excessive force by police.
The probe was welcomed by a lawyer for Woodman's parents.
Polive have denied the use of excessive force.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox