CLAREMONT, Calif. () — A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed against the city of Claremont and its police department by the family of a 30-year-old man who died following a struggle with officers during a traffic stop.
The lawsuit stems from a traffic stop that occurred the day after Thanksgiving 2025. Family members say Diego Rios was experiencing a mental health crisis during the encounter. He later died at a local hospital.
Rios died from cardiopulmonary arrest, with cocaine and heart disease listed as contributing factors, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. His death was ruled a homicide.
Rios’ family says he had suffered from depression but, to their knowledge, had not experienced hallucinations before that day. Witnesses who called 911 reported seeing Rios rolling on the ground before he got behind the wheel.
Bodycam video shows Rios shirtless behind the wheel of his car. He appeared panicked as police approached, asking multiple times if someone was in his backseat.
MORE COVERAGE: Video shows tense moments before man died in Claremont PD custody
Dramatic new bodycam video shows a tense exchange at a traffic stop between a man and Claremont police. The man later died at a local hospital.
Footage also shows Rios cooperating with the first officer. Once out of the car, a second officer becomes involved and a struggle escalates.
“Based on the subject’s behavior, officers believed he was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence. The officers asked the subject to step out of the vehicle, at which point a use-of-force incident occurred,” Claremont police said in a news release a day after the encounter.
Rios’ family and their attorney held a news conference Thursday to announce the filing of the federal lawsuit.
“It breaks my heart thinking about the last moments he spent on this Earth were full of terror. They were full of pain by those exact people who were supposed to help him,” said Victor Rios Jr., Rios’ brother.
Attorney Arnoldo Casillas said the video shows Rios’ condition deteriorating during the encounter.
“You see in the video his life beginning to just disappear,” Casillas said.
Rios’ brother described him as a gentle soul who was kind and always willing to share a laugh. He said the family’s efforts to get answers about the case have been frustrating and contributed to the decision to pursue legal action.
“When we contact them, all we get is, ‘Our investigation is going on.’ The bottom line is, it appears that the district attorney’s office isn’t going to prosecute them, so the family is going to prosecute them,” Casillas said.
In a statement, the city of Claremont said the incident remains under investigation by the district attorney’s office and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. City officials said they had no comment on the lawsuit.
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