On April 19, 2021, Mario Gonzalez, an unarmed 26-year-old Latino man, died while under police custody by the Alameda, California Police Department. [2] [3] [4] In their initial report of the incident, the department reported that Gonzalez died after a "scuffle" and "physical altercation" resulting in a "medical emergency." Experts have expressed shock at his death, questioning why the officers pinned him when he appeared to pose no imminent threat. 2023 Cable News Network. April 19, 2021. Chief forensic pathologist, Vivian Snyder, cites other significant contributing factors to Gonzalez's death, including the physiologic stress of the restraint by police during the incident as well as alcoholism and morbid obesity. The state DOJ told HuffPost that it is their understanding that the case is being handled at the local level.. The Alameda Sheriffs Office and the Alameda County District Attorneys Office are investigating the case, and the city also brought in an outside firm. A man died after being restrained by police in California. That's utterly ridiculous. In this image taken from Alameda Police Department body camera video, Alameda Police Department officers pin 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez to the ground during an arrest, April 19, in Alameda, Calif. Gonzalez stopped breathing during the arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Heres how. The proposed reforms include creating a civilian police oversight board, revising the department's use-of-force policies and requiring a "non-police response" to certain types of 911 calls. Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. Crime and Public Safety | The cause of Gonzalezs death was the toxic effects of 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. The family has not gotten any updates from officials in months, according to the familys attorney. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. Alameda is 15 miles outside San Francisco. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. The last delay was on Tuesday. One officer seems to put an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Gonzalez's life began to unravel during the pandemic. Police said that Gonzalez then had a "medical emergency. In statements Wednesday, a Gonzalez lawyer and family member further decried police actions that led to his death. appreciated. An Alameda city spokesperson said Wednesday that the city had no additional comment beyond its statement earlier this month, acknowledging the district attorneys decision and saying it hoped the decision would move the citys independent investigation closer to an end. But theyve hit a snag, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, A $150,000 executive protection dog? Gonzalez, who complied with officers attempts to converse, appeared disoriented in a video later released. Gonzalez, 26, died April 19, 2021, as he was being restrained outside 802 Oak St. in Alameda. In an autopsy report released Friday, chief forensic pathologist Vivian Snyder categorized Gonzalezs death as a homicide, while citing other factors, including methamphetamine abuse, alcoholism and morbid obesity. The Alameda County Sheriffs office has asked outside agencies to assist in reviewing the autopsy of Mario Gonzalez, who died in the custody of Alameda police officers. Crime and Public Safety | But he questioned the coroners finding that methamphetamine was the main cause of Gonzalezs death. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office said in May that it intended to have the autopsy reviewed by outside agencies after its completion. 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 Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. He also had multiple rib fractures and a liver laceration, consistent with injuries people sometimes suffer when doctors attempt to resuscitate them through CPR. Rachel Swan is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. Autopsy finds Mario Gonzalez died from meth, police restraint in Alameda struggle By Lisa Fernandez and Evan Sernoffsky Published December 10, 2021 Updated By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman Apr 27, 2022, 08:56 PM EDT April 29, 2021 / 8:35 AM Email Evan atevan.sernoffsky@fox.comand follow him on Twitter @EvanSernoffsky. In this image taken from Alameda Police Department body-camera video, officers pin Mario Gonzalez to the ground during an arrest on April 19, 2021, in Alameda, Calif. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? With police on top of him, Gonzalez can be heard groaning under the officers weight while continuing to respond to questions. The incident is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, the Alameda County district attorney's office, and Louise Renne, a former San Francisco city attorney, who was hired to conduct an independent investigation. The Alameda County district attorneys office told HuffPost that the case is still under investigation and that the office does not comment on pending investigations. The sheriffs office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On April 19, 2021, police in the Bay Area city knelt on Marios back for nearly four minutes, until he died. "There was never a point in time where any officer's knee was on Mr. Gonzalez's neck. 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. The footage from the Alameda Police Department shows the man, Mario Arenales Gonzalez, becoming unresponsive while in handcuffs and police officers quickly She said she plans to file a federal civil lawsuit. The independent autopsy found that, if not for his asphyxial brain injury, Mr. Gonzalez, more likely than not, would not have died. It noted that most people who take methamphetamine do not die of it and that the meth in this case was not the underlying cause of death. As the coroners report found, this autopsy also confirmed that the manner of death was homicide. Crime and Public Safety | I agree with the sheriff-coroner that it is a homicide. His family said he was also the main caregiver for his autistic brother, Efrain. 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez died last Monday after police responded to a call about a disorderly and possibly intoxicated person. 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. Then the cops put Marios hands behind his back and pinned him facedown. 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.. An Alameda police press release on the death of Mario Gonzalez. He stopped breathing in a park at the end of a cul-de-sac of well-kept homes with manicured gardens. 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. Gonzalez can be seen gasping for air and he was pronounced dead after he was taken to the hospital. "It was just heartbreaking having to see my mother see the last moments of her firstborn, which is something that no mother wants to endure," he said. Paramedics rushed him to Alameda Hospital, where he arrived in cardiac arrest, not breathing, with no pulse, according to the report. Sherwin said she also had sent requests for a federal investigation, not only to US Attorney General Merrick Garland and his chief deputy, Pamela Karlan, but also to the US attorney and the FBI in the Bay Area. Video Shows Police Kneeled On Mario Gonzalez's Back For 5 .. The officers determine that he is resisting, then push him to the ground, according to the video. The report went through "multiple levels of scrutiny and peer-review including a committee and we absolutely stand by that work," Alameda County Sheriff public information officer Lt. Ray Kelly says of the coroner's report. There were also reports that someone stole liquor bottles from a nearby store. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? This, in our view, is an unintended, unexpected death from the use of proper training and accepted techniques in the law enforcement industry.. 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. The initialpress releasefrom the Alameda Police said that officers attempted to detain Gonzalez, and a "physical altercation ensued." 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. He wasnt hurting anyone and he was clearly confused. Gonzalez died on the same day that the jury began deliberating in the George Floyd case, ultimately findingMinneapolis police officer Derick Chauvin guilty of murdering Floydlast May. 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 I think you just had too much to drink today, OK? "We need justice because we lost someone who was indispensable to our family," Gonzalez's mother told CBS stationKPIX-TVlast week. Officers confronted Gonzalez whose legal name, in the report, is Mario Gonzalez Arenales at a small park on the morning of April 19, after receiving two calls, the first from a nearby resident who said a man was muttering to himself outside the front gate of his house. Lila Seidman is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times yearlong initiative exploring various facets of mental health. Soon after a second officer, James Fisher, confirmed with a local drugstore that the alcohol Gonzalez had with him hadnt been stolen from there, both officers attempted to detain Gonzalez before pinning him to the ground and handcuffing his hands behind his back, while a third officer, Cameron Leahy, joined them. Civil Rights attorney Julia Sherwin, who is representing the family, says her office will continue to press their case in court that it was the officers' prone weight restraint, not meth, that killed Gonzalez. The civil litigation filed by Gonzalezs family is ongoing and the the Citys legal team is committed to defending the City in the pending litigation, Sarah Henry, public information officer for the City of Alameda told CNN in a statement. Gonzalez, who weighed about 250 pounds, by that point is lying facedown on some wood chips and can be heard shouting and grunting as the officers use body weight to control him. Since joining The Times in 2020, Seidman has served on the breaking news and utility desks, wheres she written about Indigenous communities, wildfires threatening giant trees and fishing the L.A. River. The new autopsy results, released Wednesday, said that Gonzalez died on April 19, 2021, from restraint asphyxiation, according to forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu. While we wait for the District Attorneys office to make their decision and with the knowledge of the coroners report, the city will work diligently towards completing its ongoing independent investigation and take appropriate action, Joshi said in the statement. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Nate Gartrell covers crime and corruption in Contra Costa County. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "They wanted to keep him from tripping, so they killed him instead? They killed him by restraining him in a prone position, with three officers weight on him, for over five minutes, attorney Julia Sherwin said in part. The independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. CNNs Stella Chan contributed to this report. Body camera footage shows the police restraining Gonzalez for five minutes, at which point he went limp. 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.. Attorneys for his family dispute the cause. Meth didnt kill Mario, the officers did., Earlier this month, the Alameda County district attorney announced. Please dont do it, Gonzalez says at one point, and then, Im sorry, followed by screams and groans. They are still waiting on the autopsy to be released by the coroners office. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Part of HuffPost Politics. The stress of the altercation and restraint combined with prone positioning in the setting of morbid obesity and recent methamphetamine (use) placed further strain on Mr. Gonzalezs heart, the report says. 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. The toxicology report by Ascertain Forensics was conducted a month after Gonzalez's death, and his autopsy was signed by Alameda County Chief Forensic Pathologist Vivian S. Snyder on Sept. 25, records show. Hes respectful, all the time, Marios mother, Edith Arenales, said. In Alameda County, the sheriff also oversees the coroner's office. They did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances.". All Rights Reserved. Alison Berry Wilkinson, the attorney for the officers, called the situation "very sad" but said the autopsy clearly shows Gonzalez "died from drug toxicity. The city identified them Wednesday as Officer James Fisher, who has been with the Alameda Police Department since 2010, and Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley who joined in 2018. In this image taken from Alameda Police Department body camera video, Alameda Police Department officers pin 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez to the ground during an arrest, April 19, 2021, in Alameda, Calif. Gonzalez stopped breathing during the arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital. He said he will soon file a federal lawsuit against the city and the officers involved. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Dec 13, 2021, 05:41 PM EST. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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