Mario Gonzalez, 26 killed by Alameda Police

[JohnLanders]

https://ktla.com/news/california/bod...nned-him-down/

Police in the Northern California city of Alameda released body cam footage late Tuesday that shows officers pinning a man to the ground for more than five minutes during an arrest last week that ended in his death.

Mario Gonzalez, 26, stopped breathing after an April 19 scuffle with police at a park in Alameda.

A police statement said Gonzalez had a medical emergency after officers tried to handcuff him.

His family contends he was killed by police who used excessive force.

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. Gonzalez seems dazed and struggles to answer questions.

When Gonzalez doesn?t produce any identification, the officers try to force his hands behind his back to handcuff him but he resists and they take him to the ground.

The officers repeatedly ask him for his full name and birthdate.

?We?re going to take care of you, OK, we?re going to take care of you,? one officer says.

?I think you just had too much to drink today, OK? That?s all,? the same officer says. Later, he adds, ?Mario, just please stop fighting us.?

Gonzalez, who weighed about 250 pounds, grunts and shouts as he lays face down on some wood chips while the officers restrain him. One officer puts an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder.

?He?s lifting my whole body weight up,? an officer says at one point.

One officer also appears to put a knee on his back and leaves it there for about four minutes as Gonzalez gasps for air, saying ?I didn?t do nothing, OK??

Gonzalez?s protests appear to weaken and after about five minutes he seems to lose consciousness.

Shortly before he stops breathing, one officer asks the other: ?Think we can roll him on his side?? but the other answers, ?I don?t want to lose what I got, man.?

Apparently seeking reassurance, the first officer asks ?we got no weight on his chest?? then repeats ?No! No weight ? no weight.?

?He?s going unresponsive,? one officer says.

The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Gonzalez left a 4-year-old son and also was the main caretaker of his 22-year-old brother, who has autism, his family said.

An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of his death but at a news conference Tuesday, family members blamed the police, saying officers escalated what should have been a minor, peaceful encounter with the unarmed man.

?The police killed my brother in the same manner they killed George Floyd,? said his brother, Gerardo Gonzalez.

?He?s a lovely guy. He?s respectful, all the time,? said Mario?s mother, Edith Arenales. ?They broke my family for no reason.?

Alameda ?is committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez?s death,? the city said in a statement. It said Gonzlez?s death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff?s Department, the county district attorney?s office and a former San Francisco city attorney hired by the city to lead an independent probe.

The three officers involved in the arrest have been placed on paid leave during the investigation.

[Daisychain]

I hope they charge these fuckers. Poor guy. His poor family. The city will probably pay them off and send these guys right back out with a raise. Can you imagine the last moments of his life? These deaths make me unbearably sad.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...ide/ar-AARHwwB

California man whose death was compared to George Floyd's ruled homicide

ALAMEDA, Calif. ? The death of a California man in police custody following an altercation that was captured on body camera video was a ruled a homicide, a coroner?s report released Friday shows.

The April 19 death of Mario Gonzalez, 26, was caused by "the toxic effects of methamphetamine," according to an autopsy report from the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau. The stress of the altercation with three police officers combined with alcoholism and morbid obesity contributed to his death, the report says.

In an interview Friday, a lawyer representing Gonzalez?s family, Julia Sherwin, said the report shows that the methamphetamine found in his system was a ?recreational? amount and ?clearly? not enough to kill him.

?What killed him was the Alameda police officers forcing him down in the dirt, putting their body weight on him and pinning him down,? she said.

Gonzalez?s family and Sherwin have compared his death to the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

It isn?t clear if the Alameda County District Attorney?s office, which is investigating the death, will bring charges against any of the officers. An office spokeswoman said Friday that the probe is ongoing and declined to comment further.

A lawyer representing the officers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview with Oakland TV station, KTVU, attorney Alison Berry Wilkinson said it was the ?toxic level of drugs not the actions of the officers? that killed Gonzalez.

?There?s nothing in the report that any of the techniques used by the officers were unreasonable or excessive,? she told the station. ?They did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances.?

In a statement, Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi called Gonzalez's death a "tragedy" and said that Friday's reports add "to that pain."

"As Chief of Police, it?s my duty to complete a thorough investigation and take the actions necessary to ensure the safety of all members of our community," he said. "The officers who were involved in the death of Mr. Gonzalez are on administrative leave and their peace officer powers are suspended until this process is completed."

Gonzalez, who had a young son and was the main caretaker for a brother with autism, died after police in the Northern California city near Oakland pinned him to the ground facedown for more than five minutes. The altercation was recorded on police body camera video and captured a dazed Gonzalez struggling to answer questions before the officers try to restrain him.

As they do, Gonzalez can be seen resisting as the officers take him to the ground. Lying face down, Gonzalez can be heard shouting and grunting while police ask for his full name and date of birth.

"We're going to take care of you, OK," one can be heard saying, adding: "I think you just had too much to drink."

One officer placed an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder; another appeared to put his knee on Gonzalez's back. Gonzalez can be heard gasping for air, saying: "I didn't do nothing, OK?"

After roughly five minutes, Gonzalez appears to lose consciousness. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Authorities had been called to the park where the confrontation occurred after someone reported that he appeared drunk and disoriented.

Gonzalez's family filed a claim against the city of Alameda earlier this year accusing the officers of excessive force and notifying authorities that they intend to file a lawsuit.

Sherwin said Friday that the family was waiting for the autopsy before filing the suit and plans to do so "very soon."