", The union representing police officers did not respond to a request for comment. 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. Two wrongful death suits, nearly mirroring one another, have been filed against the City of Alameda alleging the officers detained Gonzalez without reasonable suspicion and caused him to die of asphyxia. There were also reports that someone stole liquor bottles from a nearby store. But he delayed those dreams to helphis mom with the bills and care for his younger brother who suffers from severe autism. Previously, she covered City Hall for Glendale News-Press, then part of Times Community News. The officers who restrained Gonzalez, James Fisher, Cameron Leahy, and Eric McKinley, remain on administrative leave while the investigation continues, city of Alameda spokeswoman Sarah Henry told KTVU. 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. They broke my family for no reason.. Click here and here to download a copy of the coroner's report. "Mario was a noble and decent man who didn't deserve to have his life ended in this way.". Alameda Police "mishandled" the arrest of 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez last week and caused his death, according to the attorney representing the man's family. But family members and civil rights activists stressed that he was not suspected of a serious crime and said there was no need to arrest him. A previous Alameda County Sheriffs Office coroners autopsy differed on the cause of death, saying Gonzalez died of a heart attack caused by the stress of the encounter. Members of the Gonzalez family believe police used excessive force when they attempted to arrest him. Alameda Police "mishandled" the arrest of 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez last week and caused his death, according to the attorney representing the man's family. Gonzalez died April 19 after police pinned him to the ground for at least five minutes. The death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, the district attorney's office and a former San Francisco city attorney hired by Alameda to lead an independent probe. With police on top of him, Gonzalez can be heard groaning under the officers weight while continuing to respond to questions. 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. Toxicology exams found methamphetamine and amphetamine in Gonzalezs body, the effects of which were aggravated by the stress of his altercation with the officers, the autopsy report said. The autopsy also noted that Gonzalez had more than 20 cuts and bruises. 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez died last Monday after police responded to a call about a disorderly and possibly intoxicated person. Video Shows Police Kneeled On Mario Gonzalez's Back For 5 .. Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life. David DeBolt spent more than a decade reporting on the East Bay, with a focus on Oakland City Hall and the Oakland Police Department, for the Bay Area News Group and The Oaklandside before transitioning to become an editor at the Bay Area News Group overseeing breaking news for The Mercury News and East Bay Times in August 2022. Photo: Lisa Fernandez. April 19, 2021. James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley be fired and charged. 2. Mario Gonzalez Died Of 'Restraint Asphyxiation' By Police, New Autopsy Finds An independent autopsy confirmed what the Latino fathers family had declared: Police in 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.. She has not received a response, she said, But since Nancy OMalley refused to bring criminal charges, I will be renewing my request for a federal investigation.. Attorneys for the family of Mario Gonzalez, a Latino man who died after an Alameda officer put a knee on his back and neck for more than four minutes, are asking the One officer seems to put an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder. AP , 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 sheriffs office is also convening a cause and manner of death committee to review the case before releasing any findings, sheriff spokesman Sgt. Gonzalez liked to get away from their neighborhood in east Oakland, where gang shootings, robberies and murders are commonplace, and go to nearby Alameda, a city on an island with beautiful homes, tree-lined streets and many parks, his brother said. Gonzalezs death 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. Then officers can be seen putting Gonzalezs hands behind his back and pinning him facedown. The officers, as they seek to restrain him, repeatedly ask Gonzalez for his full name and birth date. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Crime and Public Safety | Omalu wrote in part that Gonzalezs brain injury, caused by the asphyxiation, far exceeds and supersedes the toxicity caused by methamphetamine in his bloodstream as a cause of death. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. During the interaction with law enforcement agents, he was face-down on the ground (prone) with his hands handcuffed behind his back, and at times the officers were applying pressure to his torso and legs with at least some of the weight of their bodies. City officials stated they are "committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez's death." Alameda police pinned down Mario Gonzalez. 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? Alameda Officer Eric McKinley spoke to Gonzalez for nine minutes before he and two other officers tried to arrest him, with help from a civilian parking employee. CNNs Stella Chan contributed to this report. Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2011. 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. The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. If they had rolled him on his side when the first officer said to, my sons father might still be here.. But it won't last long. The law firm also announced an online fundraising campaign on behalf of Cortez and Gonzalezs son. Gonzalezs death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and the county district attorneys office. Feds drop felony gun case days after defense argued SFPD illegally arrested, searched defendant You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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 Crime and Public Safety | She joined the Chronicle in 2015 after stints at several alt weekly newspapers. Meth didnt kill Mario, the officers did., Earlier this month, the Alameda County district attorney announced. The APD took a calm situation and made it fatal.". Crime and Public Safety | He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. It is available at https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-mario-gonzalez-and-his-only-son. 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? Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. California man who died in custody was restrained on his stomach for 5 minutes and lost consciousness, police body camera shows. Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew Autopsy finds Mario Gonzalez died from meth, police restraint in Alameda struggle By Lisa Fernandez and Evan Sernoffsky Published December 10, 2021 Updated 2023 FOX Television Stations, until THU 9:00 AM PST, Mendocino County Coast, until THU 8:00 AM PST, Carquinez Strait and Delta, from THU 12:00 AM PST until THU 9:00 AM PST, North Bay interior valleys, East Bay Interior Valleys, Santa Clara Valley including San Jose, Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest, from SAT 4:00 AM PST until SUN 4:00 PM PST, Southern Lake County, Northwestern Mendocino Interior, Northeastern Mendocino Interior, Southeastern Mendocino Interior, Northern Lake County, High Stakes: Sports Betting in California, originallytold the public that hehad died, Several experts have said that officers have long been trained, Teacher's TikTok plea helps clear thousands of dollars in school lunch debt, Study finds General Motors and Tesla have the most loyal customers, Instacart delivers after twin daughters almost make an $800 purchase, Bald eagles make home in unusual spot at Alameda golf course, Fishermen find remains of missing man inside shark. pizza favorite shuts down after 13 years, plus more closings, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). He also had multiple rib fractures and a liver laceration, consistent with injuries people sometimes suffer when doctors attempt to resuscitate them through CPR. Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, during almost 30 years at The Times he also has been part of the breaking news staff that won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016. The epic California snowpack is inching toward record levels, Massive Tahoe avalanche 'engulfed' 3-story apartment building, city officials hired Louise Renne of the Renne Public Law Group in San Francisco, Opinion: The our city is broken and Im not gonna take it anymore screed, San Francisco is at its most unaffordable point in at least a decade, S.F. "Once they're controlling him, as we learned from the Floyd trial with all those medical experts, this position or compression is deadly," said Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina and an expert on police use of force. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. Heres how. The city of Alameda has repeatedly delayed releasing records under a police transparency law citing the fact that the autopsy had not yet been complete. 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. The family also wants the California Department of Justice to investigate the police departments handling of the case. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. She said she plans to file a federal civil lawsuit. According to the toxicology report released, Gonzalez had .9 milligrams of meth per liter in his system. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! This is the video released by police. 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 He was highly intoxicated in a public place, in a manner where he was unable to care for himself, Berry Wilkinson said. ALAMEDA The death of an Oakland man who went unconscious while police held him to the ground was determined to be a homicide as a result of the altercation with officers, as well as methamphetamine use,and obesity, according to an autopsy made public this week. Crime and Public Safety | Cuts and bruises Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads ) police departments handling of case... In his system they attempted to arrest him breaking News, live events, exclusive... Have his life ended in this way. `` and lost consciousness, police body camera.. Intoxicated person to respond to questions officers did not respond to a request for comment, she covered City for. 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