The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has shared a security camera video revealing officers’ actions that led to the death of Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, 58, in a San Fernando Valley jail cell. Hoyos-Munoz died following an altercation with officers who restrained and struck him after he reportedly spit on them while being uncooperative. The footage shows the officers restraining Hoyos-Munoz by pinning him down and handcuffing him.
LAPD officials explained that a hood was placed over Hoyos-Munoz’s head after he spat on the officers. They left him handcuffed and lying prone on his cell’s bunk with the hood on. Later, officers found him unconscious and not breathing, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
This incident, along with a separate fatal shooting in Harvard Heights, has prompted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to demand an independent review of police-involved deaths involving individuals experiencing mental distress. Bass criticized the lack of mental and behavioral health services, pointing out that many people in crisis end up encountering law enforcement.
Bass acknowledged that LAPD officers are not trained as first responders in mental health crises. She emphasized the urgency to assess whether current policies, training, and procedures are sufficient. The mayor has authorized an executive order for an independent evaluation of officer-involved deaths and serious injuries.
“Decades of disinvestment in community-based mental and behavioral health services have left too many Angelenos without access to timely and appropriate care, increasing the likelihood that people in crisis will come into contact with law enforcement,” Bass stated.
In Hoyos-Munoz’s case, the response began when police were called to his Chatsworth home, where he allegedly stabbed his mother and another relative. Following his arrest, he was treated for tear gas exposure and booked into the Valley jail. Initially calm when entering the facility, Hoyos-Munoz later became uncooperative, leading to the events shown in the footage.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined Hoyos-Munoz’s cause of death. The LAPD is conducting an internal investigation, and the state’s In-Custody Death Review Division will also investigate.
The LAPD also shared video footage of Alejandro Luis Garcia’s shooting death. Garcia, 33, was shot after disregarding police orders to drop a baseball bat while allegedly damaging car windows. The video displays Garcia holding the bat as he approaches officers, contradicting earlier reports that he was swinging the bat when shot.
These incidents have sparked calls for policy changes and enhanced training for officers handling mental health crises.