LAPD releases body-cam footage showing officers restraining handcuffed man before his death in jail

A cadre of Los Angeles police officers beat and restrained a handcuffed man in July, minutes before he was found dead in a jail cell, according to newly released body-cam footage.

On 15 July, Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz, 58, was found unconscious in his cell at the Van Nuys regional jail. At the time, the LAPD said two use-of-force incidents had occurred, without specifying the nature. In the video released on Friday, the department said three use-of-force incidents occurred.

Body-cam footage showed Hoyoz-Munoz flapping what appeared to be a piece of cloth against the window in his holding cell. Several officers entered the cell and pinned him to the ground. The department described the restraint as being spurred by Hoyoz-Munoz’s “combative” behavior as they sought to fingerprint him.

The officers placed him in a harnessed chair, which they used to transport him to the booking stalls, the video shows. Police used the weight of their bodies to restrain him again, citing resistance. The department said Hoyoz-Munoz also spat at officers, after which they put a spit hood over his face.

Hoyoz-Munoz was escorted back to his cell. He was still handcuffed with the spit hood partly covering his face and his pants sagging down to his ankles, exposing his backside.

After Hoyoz-Munoz climbed on top of a toilet, officers again entered the cell. They moved him to the cell bed, piling on top of him as he was positioned face down.

The department said officers conducted wellness checks for 20 minutes afterward, when he appeared to exhibit signs of life.

Later, an officer saw that Hoyoz-Munoz was not moving. He was found unconscious and not breathing when they checked on him.

Hoyoz-Munoz was arrested on 13 July, when police received a call about a suspected assault with a deadly weapon. Hoyoz-Munoz allegedly injured his mother and another relative with a knife.

Upon arrival at the scene, 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.

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 mental health crises.

“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.”