City and county officials have been notified that the family of a man who died after being arrested intends to sue for damages.

James Lee Holland, 31, was assaulted Feb. 27 at an apartment complex in Brownwood. When police arrived, Holland refused medical treatment and was arrested on two misdemeanor warrants, police said. He died the next day.

Sweetwater attorney David Hall notified the Brownwood Police Department and the Brown County Sheriff's Office that Holland's family intends to sue the county and the city on behalf of Holland's wife, Tara, his three children and his parents. The letter does not specify what or how much the family is going to seek in damages.

On the night of the incident, Holland reportedly told police that he and his boss, Brent Tomlinson, 29, also of Brownwood, were beaten by two men about 8 p.m. When police arrived, they found Tomlinson unconscious in the parking lot.

During the beating, reports indicate that Holland threw himself on top of Tomlinson so the suspects could not beat him any further.

Police reported Holland had a cut over his left eye and was bleeding. Police also reported that Holland refused medical treatment. Brownwood police then arrested Holland on the warrants and on a charge of possession of marijuana.

He was taken to the Brown County Jail, where jail staff reported that he was talking. He suffered a seizure at 12:20 a.m. and was taken by air ambulance to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, where he died at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28. The manner of death was listed as blunt force trauma to the head, and the cause of death was listed as homicide.

In the letter to city and county officials, Hall questioned why Holland was jailed rather than hospitalized for his injuries. He noted that Tomlinson, who was severely injured and comatose for several weeks, survived because he was given medical treatment.

Hall was out of the office Wednesday and unavailable for comment.

Brownwood City Attorney Pat Chesser declined to comment before the lawsuit was served to the city. Brown County Attorney Shane Britton was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Jamar James Render, 26, of Brownwood, was arrested Feb. 28 and charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of failure to identify because he allegedly gave police a false name when he was initially questioned at the scene. He remains in custody at the Brown County Jail with bonds totaling $203,000.

Render was indicted on a charge of murder on May 1 by a Brown County grand jury. A trial is scheduled for Nov. 10.