"We don't even know the cause of death right now," he said. But he delayed those dreams to helphis mom with the bills and care for his younger brother who suffers from severe autism. I know they are already suffering the severe trauma of losing a loved one, Joshi said. Born in Berkeley, she graduated from Cal with a degree in rhetoric and is now raising two daughters in El Cerrito. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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? The other refuses, saying he doesn't want to lose his grip. 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. 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. Sherwin is preparing a federal civil rights lawsuit. Interim Police Chief Randy Fenn told KTVU-TV said the video was "troubling" and offered his condolences to Gonzalez's family. Feds drop felony gun case days after defense argued SFPD illegally arrested, searched defendant A man died after being restrained by police in California. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. for the officers. The case has drawn national attention, with comparisons to the death of George Floyd, particularly for the scant information police initially released in saying Gonzalez died of a medical issue during a scuffle with officers. 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. The loss of Mr. Gonzalez is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.. Haddad said his firm has hired a doctor to conduct a second autopsy, the results of which have not yet been finalized. 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, according to an independent autopsy requested by family attorneys and released Wednesday. 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. Gonzalez was still resisting with his entire body, including his legs, even after being handcuffed, according to the report. 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. He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. One officer put a knee on his back but only as a "balance point," Wilkinson said. "They never wanted to take him to the ground,"Wilkinson said at the time. appreciated. That's utterly ridiculous. 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. The three police officers and the civilian employee are on administrative leave. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. SEE ALSO: Andrew Brown Jr. shot 5 times, including in back of head, attorneys say independent 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. 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. Tehama County Sheriffs Office resuming daytime patrols Sunday Hes going unresponsive, one officer says. 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. Photos: Youth-led march honors Oakland man who died in Alameda police custody "Itwas the strength and intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's own momentum" that caused the group to fall. 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. Gonzalez weighed about 250 pounds (113 kilograms), and police said he appeared to be under the influence. As with Floyd, officers are routinely trained not to restrain people the way they did Gonzalez, said multiple use-of-force experts who viewed the video at the AP's request. But body camera video released shortly afterward, it was clear that Gonzalez was unarmed. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 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. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? 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. It is shameful that District Attorney Nancy OMalley did not have the courage to bring criminal charges for this homicide. Hes a lovely guy. 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. City officials stated they are "committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez's death." 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. In April, police called the incident a scuffle followed by a medical emergency. But body camera footage released 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. The lawsuit cites a report released last week by the Alameda county coroners bureau that said the 19 April death of Mario Gonzalez was a homicide. 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. Nearly four minutes after he was cuffed, Gonzalez became unresponsive, the report says. Family members said Gonzalez had no known health conditions and have previously contended that he did not die from medical complications. During the encounter, Gonzalez remained in a prone position with pressure applied to his posterior torso and legs, the report said. Gonzalez was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. 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.. Gonzalez, 26, died April 19, 2021, as he was being restrained outside 802 Oak St. in Alameda. former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyds death. Part of HuffPost Politics. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a BA degree in journalism. 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. The case has sparked outrage in the community. 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. Gonzalezs death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and the county district attorneys office. 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. Its been a long year, just the way weve been treated by the legal process., My brother was a human, he added. The initialpress releasefrom the Alameda Police said that officers attempted to detain Gonzalez, and a "physical altercation ensued." The encounter happened a day before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyds death and it came against the backdrop of the police killing of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy in Chicago. Walking around with that level of meth, he wouldnt have dropped dead at that moment but for the force by police, Haddad said. In a statement Friday, Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi called the death a "tragedy" and said his office will complete a "thorough investigation.". 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 family also wants the California Department of Justice to investigate the police departments handling of the case. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. 16-year-old student killed in violent altercation at Santa Rosa's Californias storms arent letting up. We believe it is an accurate and very comprehensive conclusion in the death of Mario Gonzalez.. Crime and Public Safety | At least one officer kneeled on his back for nearly five minutes until Gonzalez became unresponsive. / CBS/AP. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. I think you just had too much to drink today, OK? Omalu adds that methamphetamine levels in Gonzalezs blood fell within recreational rather than life-threatening ranges and that alcohol levels were extremely low and did not contribute to his death.. 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. Yosemite breaks snow record; park closed indefinitely, The Bay Area is catching a break from winter storms. L.A. wants to evict families living in luxury hotel since botched 2021 fireworks detonation "Mario was a noble and decent man who didn't deserve to have his life ended in this way.". 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. CNN The family of Mario Gonzalez Arenales, a Northern California man who died after he was restrained by police officers in April, has filed a wrongful death claim In an autopsy report released Friday, chief forensic pathologist Vivian Snyder categorized Gonzalezs death as a homicide, while citing other factors, including A statement issued Friday by Alameda police Chief Nishant Joshi says the officers will remain on leave until the investigation is over. 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez died last Monday after police responded to a call about a disorderly and possibly intoxicated person. He said the lack of accountability for the police officers was bullcrap., We know that what happened wasnt right, Jerry said. The officers, as they seek to restrain him, repeatedly ask Gonzalez for his full name and birth date. California man who died in custody was restrained on his stomach for 5 minutes and lost consciousness, police body camera shows. ", Alameda police officers try to revive Mario Gonzalez of Oakland after police restrained him, prone on the ground. 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. He got depressed. Did you encounter any technical issues? Then the cops put Marios hands behind his back and pinned him facedown. He was highly intoxicated in a public place, in a manner where he was unable to care for himself, Berry Wilkinson said. He declined to provide them ID, and in body cam footage, three officers were seen struggling to put Gonzalez into handcuffs and one of them had kneeled for at least two minutes on top of Gonzalez's back. On April 19, 2021, police in the Bay Area city knelt on Marios back for nearly four minutes, until he died. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? A spokesperson told HuffPost that the city does not have any substantive update on the investigations., These officers should have been fired the moment that the footage was revealed showing them suffocating Mario to death, Gerardo Gonzalez, his brother, said in a statement from the familys attorney. During last year's COVID shutdown, Gonzalez lost his job cooking inanItalian restaurant that went out of business during the shutdown. The independent autopsy, which was requested by the familys attorneys, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, countered the report from the Alameda County coroners office last year, which had called the death a homicide but listed the principal cause as toxic effects of methamphetamine. The report included under other significant conditions the physiological stress of altercation and restraint, as well as obesity and alcoholism.. An Alameda police press release on the death of Mario Gonzalez. All four employees have now been interviewed by both the sheriff's and district attorney's investigators, the city said. "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. 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, in Alameda, Calif. Gonzalez stopped breathing during the arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital. There were also reports that someone stole liquor bottles from a nearby store. Police Chief Nishant Joshi extended condolences to Gonzalezs family in a statement. 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. In statements Wednesday, a Gonzalez lawyer and family member further decried police actions that led to his death. Michael Haddad, an attorney representing Gonzalezs family, said the autopsy confirms what everyone can see with their own eyes in the video, and questioned why it took eight months for the report to be released. Most Californians can put off filing taxes until Oct. 16 but should they? No officers were charged. 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. 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. Alison Berry Wilkinson, the attorney for the officers, called the situation "very sad" but said the autopsy clearly shows Gonzalez "died from drug toxicity. 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