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California Man Dies After Officers Pin Him To The Ground, Video Shows

[Youtube:Screenshot:City of Alameda]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Bodycam footage released Tuesday showed a California man being pinned to the ground by officers just moments before he died.

The Alameda Police Department released a video of the April 19 incident in which Mario Arenales Gonzalez, 26, died Police said they responded to two separate reports of a male “who appeared to be under the influence and a suspect in a possible theft.”

A “physical altercation ensued” when officers tried to detain Gonzalez, which caused him to have a “medical emergency,” police said. Officers on the scene immediately began performing life-saving measures, according to both police and newly released bodycam footage.

Gonzalez died in the hospital following the incident, according to police.

Police released audio of two 911 calls from the incident. One caller told police Gonzalez was in his front yard “talking to himself.”

“He seems like he’s tweaking, but he’s not doing anything wrong. He’s just scaring my wife,” the caller said. A second caller told police Gonzalez was breaking security tags off alcohol bottles in the area while carrying two Walgreens shopping baskets.

An officer approaches Gonzalez and asked him if he felt okay, the video showed. Gonzalez repeatedly says “something happened” but does not provide additional details. A second officer arrives on the scene and tried to speak with Gonzalez.

Then, both officers attempted to handcuff Gonzalez, the video showed. “Please don’t resist us,” the first officer said.

Both officers asked Gonzalez to put his hand behind his back multiple times. “Don’t fight us,” an officer said.

Gonzalez was pinned to the ground to restain him and one officer can be seen laying across Gonzalez’s back, the video showed.

“What are we going to do?” the first officer can be heard saying. “Just keep him pinned down?” (FBI Opening Civil Rights Investigation Into Fatal Andrew Brown Shooting)

Gonzalez can be heard appearing to say “don’t” while an officer continued to pin Gonzalez down. Gonzalez appears to whimper that his name is “Mario” and appeared to say “please don’t do it.”

Gonzalez can be heard screaming, whimpering and apologizing to police. As Gonzalez continued to grunt, one officer asked if they could roll him on his side but another officer denies the request.

“I don’t want to lose what I got,” one officer can be heard saying.

“We have no weight on his chest, nothing,” an officer can be heard saying.

When Gonzalez was flipped onto his side, officers noticed he was unresponsive and immediately begin administering CPR.

Three officers, identified as Eric McKinley, Cameron Leahy and James Fisher, were put on leave as the investigation continues, according to The New York Times.

The incident happened just one day before former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for murdering George Floyd after he kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.

A lawyer representing Gonzalez’s family said his death was “avoidable,” according to the Times. “His death was completely avoidable and unnecessary,” Julia Sherwin reportedly said.

“Drunk guy in a park doesn’t equate a capital sentence,” Sherwin continued.

Gonzalez’s brother, Gerardo, said his brother was “murdered,” according to the Times.

“Alameda police officers murdered my brother.”