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. Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz, 58, was found unconscious in his cell at the Van Nuys regional jail on 15 July.
The LAPD initially reported two use-of-force incidents, but in the video released on Friday, the department stated three incidents occurred. Footage shows officers entering Hoyoz-Munoz's cell and pinning him to the ground after he flapped what appeared to be a piece of cloth against the window. The department described this as being spurred by Hoyoz-Munoz’s “combative” behaviour as they sought to fingerprint him.
Officers placed him in a harnessed chair for transport and later restrained him again, citing resistance. The department also stated Hoyoz-Munoz spat at officers, leading to a spit hood being placed over his face. He was then escorted back to his cell, still handcuffed with the spit hood partly covering his face.
After Hoyoz-Munoz climbed onto a toilet, officers re-entered the cell and moved him to the cell bed, positioning him face down and piling on top of him. The department said officers conducted wellness checks for 20 minutes afterwards, during which he appeared to show signs of life. Later, an officer observed Hoyoz-Munoz was not moving, and he was found unconscious and not breathing.
Hoyoz-Munoz had been arrested on 13 July following a call about a suspected assault with a deadly weapon, where he allegedly injured his mother and another relative with a knife. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the video as difficult to watch and called for an independent evaluation into officer-involved deaths concerning people experiencing a mental health crisis.