CLAREMONT, Calif. () — Dramatic new video has been released, showing a tense exchange at a traffic stop between a man and police in Claremont. The man later died at a local hospital.
The traffic stop happened the day after Thanksgiving. This week, the Claremont Police Department released the officer’s bodycam video.
The man pulled over was identified as 30-year-old Diego Rios.
The video shows Rios shirtless behind the wheel of his car. He appeared panicked as the officer approached, asking multiple times if someone was in his backseat.
Witnesses who called 911 said before getting behind the wheel, Rios was seen rolling on the ground.
During the stop, video shows Rios initially complying with directions from the first responding officer.
Once he got out of the car, and a second officer became involved during the attempt to handcuff Rios, the struggle escalated.
Bodycam video shows Rios being tased once. He then became unresponsive.
Officers tried CPR and administered Narcan, but Rios later died.
Immediately following the incident two months ago, the man’s family disputed the storyline that he was “acting erratically” and was possibly under the influence of drugs.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Family questions man’s death during ‘use-of-force incident’ with Claremont officers
The family of the 30-year-old man who died says they don’t believe he would have resisted arrest, and are accusing the officers of using excessive force.
On Tuesday afternoon, they spoke to Eyewitness News again.
“He appeared to be having some kind of mental breakdown that day. He was experiencing a mental health crisis,” said the man’s brother, Victor Rios Jr. “One of the police officers was actually, you know, seemed like a human. He treated him well, but the other police officer only escalated the situation.”
“Watching the video of my son at the end of his life is torture for any parent, you know,” his mother, Zarela Boza, said.
Claremont police say life-saving measures were performed at the scene for approximately 45 minutes.
Toxicology results are not yet available, so the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet determined the official cause of death.
In their search for justice, the family says they will file a complaint with the city of Claremont this week, which could lead to a full lawsuit.
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