Crime and Public Safety | His face had minor abrasions. 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. At least two officers knelt on him until he stopped breathing and lost his pulse. By. Most Californians can put off filing taxes until Oct. 16 but should they? Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew Little Mario will hold the officers who killed his Papi accountable in federal court, and we will fight for reforms so no other family will suffer the way Marios family has suffered from this completely preventable and senseless death., Andrea Cortez, the mother of Mario Gonzalezs child, added: Mario was a peaceful, calm person. 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. 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.. Its a video that has drawn comparison to that of the George Floyd killing. 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. A Warner Bros. But he delayed those dreams to helphis mom with the bills and care for his younger brother who suffers from severe autism. The coroner's officer ruled the death a homicide. 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. The family is demanding that the officers involved James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley be fired and charged. Nate Gartrell covers crime and corruption in Contra Costa County. Caution: It is graphic. The next day, Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter for pinning Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man's neck in a case that touched off a national reckoning over racism and police brutality. They broke my family for no reason.. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Born in Berkeley, she graduated from Cal with a degree in rhetoric and is now raising two daughters in El Cerrito. Mario Gonzalez died after three officers and a civilian employee pinned him face down on the ground for more than five minutes. for the officers. No weight no weight.. Then the cops put Marios hands behind his back and pinned him facedown. Heres the latest plan, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. He stopped breathing in a park at the end of a cul-de-sac of well-kept homes with manicured gardens. 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. Related Articles ALAMEDA The death of Mario Gonzalez, the 26-year-old man who died just over a year ago in Alameda police custody, was caused by restraint asphyxiation, Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. Gonzalezs family filed a legal claim against the city of Alameda last June, and their attorney told the news station KTVU they plan to file a federal lawsuit soon. "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. First published on April 29, 2021 / 8:35 AM. Its peer-reviewed. 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? He began to eat more and gain weight. The initialpress releasefrom the Alameda Police said that officers attempted to detain Gonzalez, and a "physical altercation ensued." Alameda is 15 miles outside San Francisco. Gonzalez, 26, died on April 19, 2021, following an encounter with three Alameda police officers who responded to a call that a person was acting strangely and talking to himself, according to a March 30 report from the Alameda County District Attorneys office. "There was never a point in time where any officer's knee was on Mr. Gonzalez's neck. An altercation occurred, an officer was seen pinning a man for at least four minutes, and soon Mario Gonzalez was dead. And like so many others, he hadn't been able to find work since then. Photos: Youth-led march honors Oakland man who died in Alameda police custody Rachel Swan is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. 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. , released Wednesday, said that Gonzalez died on April 19, 2021, from restraint asphyxiation, according to forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. 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. Gonzalez's life began to unravel during the pandemic. Family members said Gonzalez had no known health conditions and have previously contended that he did not die from medical complications. 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. April 19, 2021. Police said Gonzalez died later at the hospital, but the video shows Gonzalez stopped breathing on site and one officer declaring no pulse as officers began CPR. with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Gonzalez, who complied with officers attempts to converse, appeared disoriented in a video later released. The cause of Gonzalezs death was the toxic effects of "Policeare not allowed to arrest people to keep from tripping," Sherwin said at the time. 16-year-old student killed in violent altercation at Santa Rosa's Californias storms arent letting up. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. The county coroners office had classified the death of Mario Gonzalez Arenales as a homicide and pointed to the toxic effects of methamphetamine as the leading cause. But it won't last long. Gonzalezs cause of death is not yet known. But he urged people to wait for the results of a full investigation. S.F. 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. Alameda police have made public body cam footage showing officers pinning a man to the ground for more than five minutes during an arrest last week that ended in his death. Sherwin said she believes Gonzalez died of asphyxiation and said the amount of methamphetamine in his system was low. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! During the encounter, Gonzalez remained in a prone position with pressure applied to his posterior torso and legs, the report said. 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! "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. Police said that Gonzalez then had a "medical emergency. One officer puts his knee on Gonzalezs back for four minutes or more. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez. He got depressed. Email Lisa atlisa.fernandez@fox.comor call her at510-874-0139. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. Discovery Company. Officers in Alameda, California, arrived April 19 to check out neighbors' reports that Mario Gonzalez was acting strangely in a park and appeared to be breaking the security tags off of alcohol bottles he had in two drugstore baskets. No officers were charged. 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 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. Hes respectful, all the time, Marios mother, Edith Arenales, said. Mario Gonzalez Died Of 'Restraint Asphyxiation' By Police, New Autopsy Finds An independent autopsy confirmed what the Latino fathers family had declared: Police in Alameda, California, killed him, not meth. 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. "Mario would not have died were it not for being restrained in a prone position, with multiple officers on his back, for over five minutes," Sherwin tells NPR. Corruption in Contra Costa County down on the ground for at least five minutes officer 's was! Eric McKinley be fired and charged rewritten, or redistributed and a civilian employee pinned him down... An attorney for the results of a full investigation attempted to arrest him mom with the bills care. Medical emergency weight no weight.. then the cops put Marios hands behind back! 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