In a statement Friday, Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi called the death a "tragedy" and said his office will complete a "thorough investigation.". Though both claims are related, they will remain separate but move forward side-by-side, Sherwin told CNN. , but the video shows Gonzalez stopped breathing on site and one officer declaring no pulse as officers began CPR. The police should have known to use better tactics with Mario. Gonzalez seemed intoxicated and disoriented and they were concerned he would fall, she said. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. 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.. Gonzalez had a 4-year-old son, also named Mario, and was the main caretaker of his brother, who has autism and turned 23 on Tuesday, his family said. Crime and Public Safety | 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. Gonzalez can be seen gasping for air and he was pronounced dead after he was taken to the hospital. With police on top of him, Gonzalez can be heard groaning under the officers weight while continuing to respond to questions. County officials dispute that characterization. He was anxious and was prescribed medications to help. Gonzalez weighed about 250 pounds (113 kilograms), and police said he appeared to be under the influence. All three officers are on administrative leave. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, High school basketball: Southern California and Northern California Regional results and updated pairings, Opinion: How California came to treat UC Berkeley students noise as a dire environmental threat, Opinion: California gave up on mandating COVID vaccines for schoolchildren. Meth didnt kill Mario, the officers did. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez. Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. The autopsy released eight months after the incident found that Mario Gonzalez died due to a heart attack during an April 19 struggle with police. In Alameda County, the sheriff also oversees the coroner's office. 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Please enter valid email address to continue. It was not clear Friday if that had taken place. Heres the latest plan, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. ", "The police killed my brother in the same manner that they killed George Floyd," Jerry Gonzalez said at a press conference outside City Hall on Tuesday. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. At least one officer kneeled on his back for nearly five minutes until Gonzalez became unresponsive. 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 release of the autopsy report is the latest development in the controversial death, which almost immediately drew protests and comparisons to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Family members said Gonzalez had no known health conditions and have previously contended that he did not die from medical complications. Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney representing the officers, told KTVU in Oakland that they "used the lowest degree of force possible given the intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's efforts to evade their grasp.". for the officers. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. 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. The family of an unarmed 26-year-old San Francisco Bay Area man is struggling to understand how a minor confrontation with police led to his death on the same day a jury in Minneapolis began considering similar circumstances in the George Floyd case. "The medical emergency that they're talking about was induced by three officers on his back. 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. They did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances.". And Mario's 5-year-old son, also named Mario, will hold them accountable in civil court in a federal civil rights lawsuit.". An altercation occurred, an officer was seen pinning a man for at least four minutes, and soon Mario Gonzalez was dead. There were also reports that someone stole liquor bottles from a nearby store. Therefore, the report concludes, 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., Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Alameda County prosecutors cited the coroners autopsy in their report earlier this month when they declined to find the officers criminally liable. She joined the Chronicle in 2015 after stints at several alt weekly newspapers. Charge all those involved so no one else has to lose their loved one.. Michael Haddad, an attorney representing Gonzalez and his young son, who is also named Mario, said he didnt need an autopsy to deduce that Gonzalezs death was a homicide, or that the police restraint was a factor. Walking around with that level of meth, he wouldnt have dropped dead at that moment but for the force by police, Haddad said. Video Shows Police Kneeled On Mario Gonzalez's Back For 5 .. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. ", Alameda police officers try to revive Mario Gonzalez of Oakland after police restrained him, prone on the ground. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. 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 was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Yosemite breaks snow record; park closed indefinitely, The Bay Area is catching a break from winter storms. Again, my heart goes out to Mr. Gonzalez and his family.". After graduating from Coliseum College Preparatory in Oakland, Gonzalez had plannedto go toAlameda College. 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. The stress of the altercation and restraint combined with prone positioning in the setting of morbid obesity and recent use of methamphetamine placed further strain on Mr. Gonzalez Arenales heart. Dec 13, 2021, 05:41 PM EST. ", "It was the toxic level of drugs not the actions of the officers," Berry Wilkinson said in an interview. The three police officers and the civilian employee are on administrative leave. He stopped breathing in a park at the end of a cul-de-sac of well-kept homes with manicured gardens. The Alameda Police Department said in its first news release that officers attempted to detain the man, and a physical altercation ensued. Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew He fought the officers, and they used reasonable techniques. Caution: It is graphic. Gonzalezs death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and the county district attorneys office. 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.. At that time, the man had a medical emergency., Another news release said that there was a scuffle as officers attempted to place his hands behind his back., The protection of human life is our primary duty as police officers, interim Police Chief Randy Fenn said last week in announcing a series of investigations into the death. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. In an autopsy report released Friday, chief forensic pathologist Vivian Snyder categorized Gonzalezs death as a homicide, while citing other factors, including Mario Gonzalezs death ruled a homicide,, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Mario Gonzalezs death ruled a homicide, coroner blames Alameda police who restrained him, meth use, Tehama County Sheriffs Office resuming daytime patrols Sunday, L.A. wants to evict families living in luxury hotel since botched 2021 fireworks detonation, Former Pleasanton cop found not guilty of murder in DUI crash, Colorado cop shot and killed unarmed man at point-blank range after struggle outside middle school, video shows, Feds drop felony gun case days after defense argued SFPD illegally arrested, searched defendant. Nearly four minutes after he was cuffed, Gonzalez became unresponsive, the report says. S.F. 16-year-old student killed in violent altercation at Santa Rosa's Californias storms arent letting up. Gonzalez, 26, died after Alameda Police Department officers pinned him to the ground face-down and restrained him for several minutes on April 19, 2021. 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"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 his statement. 2023 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. Los Angeles, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Clearly now the onus is on the DA to prosecute these officers for the homicide.. 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 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. 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. 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. I know they are already suffering the severe trauma of losing a loved one, Joshi said. Heres what first half of March looks like. Alameda Police Department CNN The Alameda County California man who died in custody was restrained on his stomach for 5 minutes and lost consciousness, police body camera shows. "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. Its been a long year, just the way weve been treated by the legal process., My brother was a human, he added. Were going to take care of you, OK, were going to take care of you, one officer tells him. Gonzalez's mother, who lost another son two years ago, turned 45 the day after Mario died, his brother said. A Warner Bros. 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. No officers were charged. 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. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? "Itwas the strength and intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's own momentum" that caused the group to fall. The autopsy released eight months after the incident found that Mario Gonzalez died due to a heart attack during an April 19 struggle with police. 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. It is a sad day when political expediency and obvious conflicts of interest seemingly outweigh the principles of equal justice under the law as it has in the death (of) Mario and far too many other men, women and children killed by police, Pointer said. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. In a case that drew national attention and comparisons to the murder of George Floyd an autopsy report released Friday for a California man who died in April after being restrained by police identifies his manner of death a homicide but cites methamphetamine toxicity as the leading cause. 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. Email Lisa atlisa.fernandez@fox.comor call her at510-874-0139. Part of HuffPost Politics. I agree with the sheriff-coroner that it is a homicide. Tehama County Sheriffs Office resuming daytime patrols Sunday Hes going unresponsive, one officer says. 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. Moreover, officers are trained to take particular care with those like Gonzalez who may be especially vulnerable because of their body weight, intoxication or other factors, said Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force consultant to law enforcement agencies and a deputy sheriff and legal adviser for the Plumas County, California, sheriff's office. former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyds death. And while none of his family members knows exactly what Gonzalez was doing in Alameda that day, they said he often traveled therefor peace and quiet. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. Sarah Ruiz-Grossman. pizza favorite shuts down after 13 years, plus more closings, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Mario Gonzalez, 26, died after Alameda police officers restrained him on his stomach for five minutes in a case that had echoes of the murder of George Floyd. 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