In their initial public statements, Alameda police described Gonzalezs death as a medical emergency. Grieving family members invoked George Floyd, the Minneapolis man whose murder by a former police officer set off a national reckoning over police violence against people of color. In April, police called the incident a scuffle followed by a. after an outcry from Gonzalezs family showed officers approaching Gonzalez, alone in a park with some bottles of alcohol, and Gonzalez calmly speaking with officers for nearly nine minutes. Nor was there a time when they were pressing down hard enough on his body to cause him not to breathe.". 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. After graduating from Coliseum College Preparatory in Oakland, Gonzalez had plannedto go toAlameda College. An Alameda police press release on the death of Mario Gonzalez. Interim Police Chief Randy Fenn told KTVU-TV said the video was "troubling" and offered his condolences to Gonzalez's family. The officers determine that he is resisting, then push him to the ground, according to the video. Gonzalez's life began to unravel during the pandemic. There were also reports that someone stole liquor bottles from a nearby store. His face had minor abrasions. Alameda police pinned down Mario Gonzalez. Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. 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. 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. A spokesperson for the sheriff, Lt. Ray Kelly, said the office stands by the corners report. Related Articles 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. Colorado cop shot and killed unarmed man at point-blank range after struggle outside middle school, video shows 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. 16-year-old student killed in violent altercation at Santa Rosa's Californias storms arent letting up. 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. He said he will soon file a federal lawsuit against the city and the officers involved. And while the city had vowed transparency in the months after Gonzalez died, the latest update this week stated: "withholding potentially responsive material at this time remains necessary to avoid substantially interfering with the multiple investigations into the incident. 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. A man died after being restrained by police in California. 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 officers approach to Mr Gonzalez detention and arrest and their use of force appeared reasonable under the circumstances, the report says. The law firm also announced an online fundraising campaign on behalf of Cortez and Gonzalezs son. All three remain on paid leave. 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. Asked why the officers couldn't have called a family member to pick him up or let him sit on a benchto wait it out instead of restraining him,Wilkinson said those approaches would not have likely worked out because of his disorientation. 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. Sherwin said she believes Gonzalez died of asphyxiation and said the amount of methamphetamine in his system was low. "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. He kept looking butnever had any luck. In statements Wednesday, a Gonzalez lawyer and family member further decried police actions that led to his death. The sheriffs office is also convening a cause and manner of death committee to review the case before releasing any findings, sheriff spokesman Sgt. All four employees have now been interviewed by both the sheriff's and district attorney's investigators, the city said. Thats all, the officer says. She said she plans to file a federal civil lawsuit. 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. Family members said Gonzalez had no known health conditions and have previously contended that he did not die from medical complications. At least one officer kneeled on his back for nearly five minutes until Gonzalez became unresponsive. 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.". "Mario was a noble and decent man who didn't deserve to have his life ended in this way.". 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. Born in Berkeley, she graduated from Cal with a degree in rhetoric and is now raising two daughters in El Cerrito. The methamphetamine detected in his blood combined with his enlarged and dilated heart could have together resulted in fatal cardiac arrhythmia, the report continued. By. Gonzalez weighed about 250 pounds (113 kilograms), and police said he appeared to be under the influence. 12:22 PM EDT, Mon April 11, 2022. Officers Eric McKinley, James Fisher, and Cameron Leahy controlled Gonzalezs arms, back, and legs as his arms were cuffed behind his back, the report says. L.A. wants to evict families living in luxury hotel since botched 2021 fireworks detonation with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. 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. The second caller said Gonzalez was lingering in Scout Park at the corner of Oak and Powell streets, with what the caller suspected were stolen bottles of alcohol. hide caption. 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. At least two officers knelt on him until he stopped breathing and lost his pulse. , 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 Alameda Police Department said in its first news release that officers attempted to detain the man, and a physical altercation ensued. With police on top of him, Gonzalez can be heard groaning under the officers weight while continuing to respond to questions. 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 ey. Gonzalez wont produce any identification, so the officers try to force his hands behind his back to handcuff him, but he does not let his arms go limp. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. "Theres nothing in the report that any of the techniques used by the officers were unreasonable or excessive. 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. Crime and Public Safety | He fought the officers, and they used reasonable techniques. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew 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 Rachel Swan is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. 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? Doctors pronounced Gonzalez dead at 11:45 a.m., the autopsy report said. Most Californians can put off filing taxes until Oct. 16 but should they? One officer seems to put an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder. Alameda is 15 miles outside San Francisco. 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. By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman Apr 27, 2022, 08:56 PM EDT Hes a lovely guy. Those statement did not mention Gonzalez being pinned to the ground. 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.. But he questioned the coroners finding that methamphetamine was the main cause of Gonzalezs death. He was anxious and was prescribed medications to help. A Warner Bros. 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. 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. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. That was their fatal mistake, experts said. 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.. 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. Police body camera video released a week after his death shows multiple officers holding Gonzalez to the ground for five minutes while attempting to arrest him on suspicion of shoplifting, a misdemeanor. We are still figuring out how to fill the hole left in our family when they took Mario from us, said his mother, Edith Arenales, in a statement from the familys lawyers. Body camera video shows officers attempt to take Mario Gonzalez into custody on April 19, 2021. The state DOJ told HuffPost that it is their understanding that the case is being handled at the local level.. 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