This case involved an altercation in a hospital lobby between an adult male and four security officers. The lawsuit alleged that a prolonged neck restraint used by the officers resulted in the man’s death.
The incident was captured by a fixed security camera. Knott Laboratory’s Digital Media Forensics team was retained to reconstruct the scene.
The Process
Our team began by reviewing all the case documents and camera footage. Next, they performed a thorough scene inspection and collected a laser scan of the hospital entryway and lobby. Laser scanners are powerful devices that gather millions of data points of a 3D space, creating a high-definition digital twin.
The security video was checked and corrected for lens distortion (such as the fisheye effect), and then camera-matching was used to overlay the video frames onto their exact location on the laser scan. This creates a scientifically accurate reconstruction of the scene, which we call a forensic visualization.
In cases like this, forensic visualization is extremely valuable because it allows the incident to be viewed from any angle. This perspective is crucial for helping attorneys, juries, and judges understand the movements and timing of events.
The video below shows the process and final visualization provided for this case.
Note: Knott Laboratory does not provide analysis or testimony on security/police policies or practices and whether the use of force was appropriate.
