Relatives File Lawsuit Over Toddler’s Death

Relatives of an Oakland boy allegedly beaten to death last fall by his father for failing to recite the alphabet sued the Oakland Police Department and Alameda County Child Protective Services Department this week.

The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed Monday in Alameda County Superior Court, says officials didn’t protect Chazarus “Cha-Cha” Hill Jr., 3, although neighbors and family members had made numerous complaints about the boy’s treatment in the six months before his death.

The lawsuit by the boy’s mother, Tyrinza Brown, and grandmother, Patricia Blair, said they had told authorities the toddler was in imminent danger two days before his death.