Homeless man dies after being tasered by police
The struggle to arrest 32-year-old Vincent Valenzuela was captured on this laundromat security camera the morning of July 2nd.
Two Anaheim police officers wrestled with the homeless man for several minutes, forcing him to the ground, until he broke free.
Moment's later, exterior video security video shows one of the officers tasing Valenzuela in the back. He then fell to the ground.
"The taser however did not stop him," Chief Raul Quezada, Anaheim Police Department, said in a press conference Monday. "He continued to resist and at one point kicked one of the officers."
The video then shows Valenzuela take off running to a nearby 7-11 store where he suffered a medical episode and collapsed.
Chief Raul Quezada said officers administered CPR and called an ambulance.
After a week in a medically induced coma, Valenzuela's family decided to take him off life support Sunday afternoon.
Valenzuela's family took him off life support after he was in a coma for a week.
"It's very hard to tell your children that your father will no longer be apart of their lives," Patricia Gonzales, Valenzuela's ex-wife, said in a press conference Monday.
His family now plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming police used excessive force.
The family's attorney said, Valenzuela was also tased in the chest, which is against department policy.
"It's the police heavy handedness when no crime was committed when they immediately resort to force," Garo Mardirossian, Valenzuela family attorney, said.
Police would only confirm that Valenzuela was tased once in the back.
Officers first came in contact with Valenzuela after a 9-11 caller reported him pacing outside her home.
Police released the call on Monday.
The caller reported Valenzuela had followed her mother home and was loitering outside their home, but he didn't appear to have any weapons.
Valenzuela's family said he suffered from PTSD.
His father said, he thinks his son was just scared trying to escape police.
"I'm angry my son's not here," Vincent Valenzuela, Valenzuela's father, said. "This happens way too much and the Anaheim police department has become so violent."
Police said officers observed Valenzuela discard a narcotics pipe at the laundromat and the initial toxicology report showed Valenzuela had amphetamines in his system.
The Orange County District Attorney is handling the investigation and will determine whether use of force was warranted.
Meantime, the two officers involved in the confrontation are back on the job.