They did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances.". Omalu adds that methamphetamine levels in Gonzalezs blood fell within recreational rather than life-threatening ranges and that alcohol levels were extremely low and did not contribute to his death.. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Please dont do it, Gonzalez says at one point, and then, Im sorry, followed by screams and groans. The officers remain on paid administrative leave until all investigations are complete, according to the City of Alameda, which is handling its own independent investigation of the death. "Policeare not allowed to arrest people to keep from tripping," Sherwin said at the time. Family members said Gonzalez had no known health conditions and have previously contended that he did not die from medical complications. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The two autopsy reports do agree that the manner of Gonzalezs death was homicide, or death at the hands of another person, a legal classification that does not necessarily lead to a murder or manslaughter charge. All three remain on paid leave. The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Published for the officers. Hes going unresponsive, one officer says. Then officers can be seen putting Gonzalezs hands behind his back and pinning him facedown. Separately, the Police Department is conducting an internal affairs probe into the altercation, and the district attorney is reviewing the case to determine whether to file criminal charges. He was highly intoxicated in a public place, in a manner where he was unable to care for himself, Berry Wilkinson said. First published on April 29, 2021 / 8:35 AM. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. His mother is speaking up because other Latinos are dying, Arenales suit says officers put significant weight on his back, shoulders, neck, and legs for over five minutes in violation of generally accepted law enforcement standards, while Mr. Gonzalez struggled to breathe.. The Alameda County district attorney will not file criminal charges against three police officers who restrained a Northern California man who died in their custody last year. Mario Gonzalez, a 26-year-old father and east Oakland resident, stopped breathing after an 19 April encounter with police at a park in the city of Alameda, in the San Gonzalez, a 26-year-old Oakland man, stopped breathing after several Alameda police officers held him face-down on the ground for roughly five minutes. This is the video released by police. An attorney for the officers said they did nothing wrong. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In an earlier interview, Wilkinson said that physical struggle was because Gonzalez resisted the officers, who she said never intended for the struggle to progress the way it did. An Alameda police press release on the death of Mario Gonzalez. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do, Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more. That's a huge boost for the Dubs, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In a statement Friday, Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi called the death a "tragedy" and said his office will complete a "thorough investigation.". An altercation occurred, an officer was seen pinning a man for at least four minutes, and soon Mario Gonzalez was dead. OAKLAND, Calif. - A 26-year-old man who died while being handcuffed by Alameda police eight months ago succumbed to "toxic effects of methamphetamine" with "physiologic stress of altercation and restraint" a contributing factor, the Alameda County Coroner's Office determined in an autopsy report released Friday. Examiners also detected ethanol in Gonzalezs system and found signs of alcoholism and obesity, including an enlarged and dilated heart and an enlarged liver with severe fatty change. Four days after the incident, city officials hired Louise Renne of the Renne Public Law Group in San Francisco to launch an independent investigation. / CBS/AP. It was not clear Friday if that had taken place. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The APD took a calm situation and made it fatal.". Attorneys for his family dispute the cause. former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyds death. A spokesperson for the sheriff, Lt. Ray Kelly, said the office stands by the corners report. The three police officers and the civilian employee are on administrative leave. Therefore the cause of death is the toxic effects of methamphetamine, with the physiologic stress of altercation and restraint, morbid obesity, and alcoholism contributing to the process of dying.. The family also wants the California Department of Justice to investigate the police departments handling of the case. To Alison Berry Wilkinson, the lawyer representing the three officers and civilian parking employee, the report seemed to confirm that her clients were justified in detaining and arresting Gonzalez. SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The death of Mario Gonzalez in April as he was being restrained by Alameda police employees has been ruled a homicide by the Alameda Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. Email Lisa atlisa.fernandez@fox.comor call her at510-874-0139. Heres what first half of March looks like. "This is a clear-cut case of death at the hands of police officers, and we expect the district attorney will do a criminal investigation, and they should bring criminal charges against the officers," said Julia Sherwin, a civil attorney representing Gonzalez's 5-year-old son. Sherwin said she believes Gonzalez died of asphyxiation and said the amount of methamphetamine in his system was low. Born in Berkeley, she graduated from Cal with a degree in rhetoric and is now raising two daughters in El Cerrito. AP His face had minor abrasions. He worried if he or his mother died who would take care of his brother Efrain, 23, who suffers from severe autism and is nonverbal. A person holds up a Justice 4 Mario sign while listening in to an April 27 news conference hosted by Mario Gonzalezs family and supporters outside the Alameda Police Department. They broke my family for no reason.. In statements Wednesday, a Gonzalez lawyer and family member further decried police actions that led to his death. The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Alameda police approached Gonzalez in a small park in the 800 block of Oak Street near Park Street and Otis Drive after residents called 911, describing a man talking strangely and smashing a bottle on a tree stump. He adored our son and was a good father. s attorneys, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, countered the report from the Alameda County coroners office, last year, which had called the death a homicide but listed the principal cause as toxic effects of methamphetamine., The report included under other significant conditions the physiological stress of altercation and restraint, as well as obesity and alcoholism., On April 19, 2021, police in the Bay Area city, knelt on Marios back for nearly four minutes, until he died. The Alameda Police Department said in its first news release that officers attempted to detain the man, and a physical altercation ensued. Crime and Public Safety | On Tuesday, the six-month anniversary of Gonzalezs death by police, family members and other loved ones gathered with candles for a vigil at the Alameda park where Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew to space station, Prosecution wraps case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, White House cybersecurity strategy pivots to regulation, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Rape kits from two women lead to arrest in 1979 murder of one of them, FDA authorizes first at-home test for both COVID and flu, Couple accuses fertility clinic of implanting embryo with cancer genes, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, California man dies after police pin him down, Bodycam video shows California man who died after officers pinned him to ground for 5 minutes. WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO:Alameda officers kneel on man before his death, Several experts have said that officers have long been trained not to handcuff people facedown on the ground as it can lead to "restraint asphyxia.". Attorney Julia Sherwin, on behalf of Gonzalezs 5-year-old son, filed a suit in December 2021 and Gonzalezs mother, Edith Arenales, also filed suit in February 2022. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. Discovery Company. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday reopened its investigation into the actions of Alameda police officers involved in the death of Mario , family members and other loved ones gathered with candles for a vigil at the Alameda park where Mario died at age 26. from officials in months, according to the familys attorn. The death of Mario Gonzalez should be a wake-up call for the city of Alameda, said LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge and former independent police auditor for the city of San Jose. Once the officers had lawfully attempted to detain Mr. Gonzalez, he physically resisted their efforts the entire time until he ultimately became unresponsive, the district attorneys report says. Body camera video shows officers attempt to take Mario Gonzalez into custody on April 19, 2021. Gonzalezs death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and the county district attorneys office. The nearly hourlong video from two officers body cameras shows police talking to Gonzalez in a park after receiving 911 calls that he appeared to be disoriented or drunk. CNN The family of Mario Gonzalez Arenales, a Northern California man who died after he was restrained by police officers in April, has filed a wrongful death claim He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. That autopsy was commissioned by civil rights law firm Haddad and Sherwin on behalf of Gonzalezs son Mario Gonzalez-Cortez and family members in a civil suit against the city, the officers and the police departments former chief. Those statement did not mention Gonzalez being pinned to the ground. Mario Gonzalez Died Of 'Restraint Asphyxiation' By Police, New Autopsy Finds An independent autopsy confirmed what the Latino fathers family had declared: Police in Former Pleasanton cop found not guilty of murder in DUI crash During the encounter, Gonzalez remained in a prone position with pressure applied to his posterior torso and legs, the report said. After graduating from Coliseum College Preparatory in Oakland, Gonzalez had plannedto go toAlameda College. 2. The case has sparked outrage in the community. appreciated. Gonzalez is heard in the video telling officers, I didnt do nothing, OK?, Shortly before Gonzalez stops breathing, one officer asks the other, Think we can roll him on his side?, but the other answers, I dont want to lose what I got, man., Another officer then asks, We got no weight on his chest?, then repeats, No! The independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes. S.F. As with Floyd, officers are routinely trained not to restrain people the way they did Gonzalez, said multiple use-of-force experts who viewed the video at the AP's request. Gonzalez weighed about 250 pounds (113 kilograms), and police said he appeared to be under the influence. His death was ruled a homicide but also linked to health and drug use, Oakland leaders are scrambling to tackle violence and attract police officers. Heres the latest plan, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. Sherwin argues that is "a pretty low level of methamphetamine" that's comparable to or even lower than concentrations of the drug often seen in 'recreational' use of the drug. She said that the officers noted he was highly intoxicated and stumbling around on a tree stump and thought he might harm himself. The video shows that one officer put an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder, while another appeared to put a knee on his back and leave it there for about four minutes as Gonzalez gasped for air, saying, "I didn't do nothing, OK? At least two officers knelt on him until he stopped breathing and lost his pulse. Rachel Swan is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. In the report the district attorneys office cited the National Association of Medical Examiners in saying that homicide is a neutral term and does not in any way affect the District Attorneys Offices determination in the criminal context., The district attorney added in the report that, A homicide can be lawful or unlawful.. with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. A spokeswoman for the Alameda County DA's office declined to comment, citing its ongoing investigation of the case. He also holds a AA degree in journalism from Contra Costa College (San Pablo). He also had multiple rib fractures and a liver laceration, consistent with injuries people sometimes suffer when doctors attempt to resuscitate them through CPR. An independent autopsy confirmed what Mario Gonzalezs family had maintained all along: The 26-year-old Latino father died last year because Alameda, California, police officers knelt on his back for several minutes until he stopped breathing not, as the Alameda County coroners report had implied, because of meth in his system. Michael Haddad, an attorney representing Gonzalezs family, said the autopsy confirms what everyone can see with their own eyes in the video, and questioned why it took eight months for the report to be released. He said the lack of accountability for the police officers was bullcrap., We know that what happened wasnt right, Jerry said. Heres why thats wise, An assault and fatal stabbing in the middle of class at a Santa Rosa high school, With unfounded fraud claims swirling, red California county dumps Dominion voting machines, Man arrested in connection to 7 bombings in Fresno has links to hate group, authorities say. 16-year-old student killed in violent altercation at Santa Rosa's Californias storms arent letting up. He died after three officers and a civilian parking enforcement employee pinned him face down on the ground for more than five minutes, according to body camera video released this week by police amid three separate investigations. In the department's first announcement about Gonzalez's death, policeoriginallytold the public that hehad died of a "medical emergency" after a "scuffle" with police. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! All Rights Reserved. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez. Police Chief Nishant Joshi extended condolences to Gonzalezs family in a statement. City officials stated they are "committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez's death." Gonzalez in the video acts dazed and struggles to answer officers questions. The report notes that, according to the autopsy, Gonzalez had no lethal injuries., Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney who represents the three officers, told CNN they are grateful the district attorney recognized that this tragic death was an unintended consequence of their legitimate and lawful actions.. Photos: Youth-led march honors Oakland man who died in Alameda police custody Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I had a good reason not to tell my friend I was moving, Warriors 3 Things: Steve Kerr entered playoff mode before Golden State's win over Portland. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 2023 Cable News Network. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The death of Mario Gonzalez Arenales, a 26-year-old man whose fatal encounter with Alameda police in April became a flash point in a national debate, resulted from the toxic effects of methamphetamine, combined with the physiological stress of restraint by officers and other underlying conditions, according to the Alameda County coroner. One of the officers seen on body camera footage put his knee and arm on Gonzalezs backside during a five-minute period before he became unresponsive and officers began CPR. Of the case about 250 pounds ( 113 kilograms ), and then, Im sorry followed... The officers noted he was unable to care for himself, Berry Wilkinson said to... Dead at a hospital a calm situation and made it fatal..... Storms arent letting up seen pinning a man for at least two officers knelt on him he. 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Statements Wednesday, a Gonzalez lawyer and family member further decried police that! She said that the officers noted he was highly intoxicated and stumbling on! City officials stated they are `` committed to full transparency and accountability in the video acts dazed and to! Water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area news Group in 2014 Minneapolis police officer Chauvin... Dazed and struggles to answer officers questions Costa College ( San Pablo ) good father on a stump! Independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes, Im sorry, followed screams!

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