Newly released body-cam footage shows Los Angeles police officers beating and restraining a handcuffed man in July, minutes before he was found dead in a jail cell. The incident occurred on 15 July, when Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz, 58, was found unconscious in his cell at the Van Nuys regional jail.
The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) initially reported two use-of-force incidents, but in the video released on Friday, the department said three use-of-force incidents occurred. The footage shows Hoyoz-Munoz flapping what appears to be a piece of cloth against the window of his holding cell, prompting several officers to enter the cell and pin him to the ground.
Details of the restraint and subsequent death
The department described the restraint as being spurred by Hoyoz-Munoz’s “combative” behavior as officers sought to fingerprint him. The video shows officers placing him in a harnessed chair, which they used to transport him to the booking stalls. Police again used the weight of their bodies to restrain him, citing resistance. The department said Hoyoz-Munoz also spat at officers, after which they placed a spit hood over his face.
Hoyoz-Munoz was then escorted back to his cell, still handcuffed, with the spit hood partially covering his face and his pants sagging down to his ankles, exposing his backside. After climbing on top of a toilet, officers again entered the cell, moved him to the cell bed, and piled on top of him as he lay face down.
The department said officers conducted wellness checks for 20 minutes afterward, during which he appeared to exhibit signs of life. Later, an officer saw that Hoyoz-Munoz was not moving, and he was found unconscious and not breathing when they checked on him.
Arrest context and prior incident
Hoyoz-Munoz was arrested on 13 July, when police received a call about a suspected assault with a deadly weapon. He allegedly injured his mother and another relative with a knife. Upon arrival, an officer encountered Hoyoz-Munoz’s mother with a laceration on her arm. “He has lost his mind. He’s gone crazy,” she said in Spanish. Another family member had a wound on his arm.
After an hours-long standoff with law enforcement, during which SWAT agents deployed teargas, an agitated Hoyoz-Munoz was located in the residence, kneeling before a piano as he touched the keys and spoke of religion.
Mayor calls for independent evaluation
Los Angeles police also released video showing the death of 33-year-old Alejandro Luis Garcia, whom officers fatally shot. Garcia had allegedly shattered car windows with a baseball bat.
Los Angeles’s mayor, Karen Bass, described both videos as difficult to watch in a Friday statement. She called for an independent evaluation into officer-involved deaths concerning people experiencing a mental health crisis. “People who experience behavioral or mental health crises often do not receive the proper care they desperately need. Without it, they can deteriorate into behavior that can result in severe injury or death,” the mayor said. “We must rigorously examine whether our policies, training, tactics, supervision and accountability systems are sufficient.”
