Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
The 31 March 2021, a man identified as Edward Bronstein, was detained under suspected of driving while intoxicated by California Highway Patrol Officer, Dusty Omanson, after a traffic stop on the 5 Freeway.
However, a video has been released where the man, of 38 years, yelled “I can’t breathe!”, while several officers immobilized them, this event occurred two months before that George Floyd died under the same circumstances in the custody of the Minneapolis police.
Bronstein was transferred to the Altadena station, where officials attempted to draw blood from his arm to determine the level of alcohol, but according to the police report, he refused.
In a video of 16 minutes recorded by a sergeant the man is seen kneeling on the floor while an agent presses his hands on his shoulders , while another official, who is not seen in the audiovisual material, demands that he draw the blood ordered by the court
.
“You are bringing the fight to this, not us”, says one of the officers.
For his part, Bronstein replied that he would not fight at all. After which, one of the policemen warns him that if he refuses to obey, he will remain face down on the mat, while they will proceed with the extraction.
Later, throwing him to the ground, the man shouts that he will do it willingly, repeating it several times.
So several officers pinned him down with their bodies while Bronstein screamed in anguish, before scream “I can’t breathe!”.
So after a few moments he stopped moving, another minute passed before the agents realized that he was not responding and tried to revive him.
One of the officers asks for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but more than pass minutes after the man’s last cries and movements before CPR is started.
For its part, Bronstein’s family filed a federal lawsuit against the nine policemen and a sergeant, alleging excessive force and a lawsuit for violation of civil rights. Likewise, requested that officers are criminally charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
The officials were identified as Carlos Villanueva, Christopher Sanchez-Romero, Darren Parsons, Diego Romero, Dusty Osmanson, Eric Voss, Justin Silva, Dionisio Fiorella and Marciel Terry. Sergeant Miguel Pequeno is also named.
According to the autopsy, Bronstein’s alleged death was caused by “acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by the police.” law enforcement”, although the coroner’s office also stated that the cause of death was “undetermined”, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The audiovisual material was published by order of a federal judge.
“The state of California did not want us to release this video,” said the family civil rights attorney, Luis Carrillo. “Thank God the judge agreed with us, and so now you can watch this video… It’s horrible, but it’s the only way his family can get some justice,” he added.
The family’s attorney said the video was not part of regular California Highway Patrol procedures, as officials They do not carry a body camera, although the vehicles do have one on the dashboard.
“I suspect they filmed this for training purposes and then realized that they had to reveal their existence”, he told the newspaper.
The relatives of the man deceased said that he was terrified of needles and that they believe that is why he refused to obey the orders of the officers.
“No one deserves to die this way. He was treated like trash, like his life didn’t deserve it”, his daughter Brianna Palomino said during a press conference to announce the release of the images, LA Times reported.
“When the nation was in uproar over the George Floyd tragedy, we had no idea that this had also happened to Mr. Bronstein”, said attorney Carrillo.
Due to the death of Floyd, in September 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom enacted a law that prohibits officers from using face-down determiner holds that have led to multiple accidental deaths.
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