Shocking footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows officers struggling with a handcuffed inmate, Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, 58, in his cell shortly before his death on July 15. The incident occurred at the Van Nuys Regional Jail.
The video depicts officers wrestling Hoyos-Munoz to the ground as he becomes combative. An LAPD spokesperson stated that a hood was placed over his head after he spit at officers, and he was subsequently left in a prone position on his bed with his hands behind his back. He was found unconscious and not breathing a short time later and pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner has not yet released an official cause or manner of death.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the footage as "incredibly difficult to watch" and announced an Executive Directive for an independent review of officer-involved deaths within the LAPD. She emphasized particular attention to cases "that might involve individuals experiencing a mental health crisis."
"Decades of disinvestment in community-based mental and behavioral health services have left too many Angelenos without access to timely and appropriate care, increasing the likelihood that people in crisis will come into contact with law enforcement," Bass stated. She added that LAPD officers "do not enter the force to become first responders to mental health crises and are not equipped with the proper training to do so."
The mayor cited both Hoyos-Munoz's and the recent police shooting of Alejandro Luis Garcia, 33, on July 29, as examples of what can occur when individuals in behavioral health crises do not receive adequate care. Garcia was killed after officers said he refused to drop a baseball bat he was using to smash car windows.
According to reports, Hoyos-Munoz was arrested on July 13, two days before his death, following allegations that he stabbed his mother and another relative. SWAT officers deployed tear gas into a residence to apprehend him after he allegedly refused to leave the property. He was treated for tear gas exposure at a hospital before being booked into jail.
Footage from inside the cell shows Hoyos-Munoz initially appearing calm, but becoming distressed after being placed in his cell. The LAPD spokesperson noted that officers entered the cell to handcuff Hoyos-Munoz for his own safety after he exhibited erratic behavior. During the confrontation, three officers sustained minor injuries, according to the department. Officials stated that officers checked on Hoyos-Munoz for approximately 20 minutes after he was left alone in the cell, observing that he was breathing and showing signs of life, before he was found unconscious. The LAPD has not yet commented on the specific allegations of beating the inmate while handcuffed.