The Los Angeles Police Department is under fire for its treatment of a suspect in custody after Jorge Azucena died from an asthma attack. Azucena repeatedly told the officers that “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe” . . . I have asthma, I have asthma.” However, LAPD officers refused to help him with one sergeant telling him “You can breathe just fine. You can talk, so you can breathe.” He died after being left lying face down on his cell floor. Roughly a year has passed but there is no reported discipline in the case.
Azucena reportedly could not even walk by the time that he was brought to a South Los Angeles police station and was carried to his cell. The evidence in the case was derived from recordings from cameras on police cars that responded to the scene on September 6, 2013 near midnight. Azucena led police on a brief car chase after running a red light. He and two companions ditched their car and ran off into a park but Azucena was quickly found at a nearby apartment complex. When he surrendered, he is heard complaining that he could not breathe. He continues to plead that he could not breathe as he was left on the ground handcuffed. One officer noted that he was “walking wobbly” and seemed “fatigued.” Another thought he might be having a seizure. Azucena became increasing alarmed and began yelling “Help me, help me, help me. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. Help me, please.” A sergeant dismissed the pleas as just trying to incite the crowd. He was told “You can breathe just fine. You can talk, so you can breathe.”
He kept begging officers to help but the most that they would do is slightly lower a window in the cruiser. According to the Inspector General’s report, when he was unable to walk, an officer told him “that he needed to act like a man and walk.” Notably, following protocol, a supervisor insisted that he did ask Azucena if he was sick or injured and recorded his answer as “not responsive” on the form. That would seem a problem when someone is not responsive and unable to walk. However, Azucena was carried to a holding cell and placed face down on the concrete floor. Some 40 minutes later, paramedics arrived after officers could tell that he was not breathing. He was later declared dead.
The inspector general’s report shows a shocking lack of response by various officers. Yet, no action has been reportedly taken in the case. That lack of accountability may explain how such violations occur in the LAPD in a case of this kind. I fail to see why it was such a difficult decision to take a prisoner to a hospital if he was sweating, having trouble walking, and claiming to have asthma. While there are medical conditions that are less urgent, a difficulty breathing is a medical condition warranting immediate action. Prisoners are routinely taken to hospitals for any number of reasons. This was not a tough call. It has been a year since Azucena died and it would seem that his family deserves from some real action and some real answers from the LAPD. Unfortunately, it sounds like a torts lawsuit may be the only way to force such answers through the litigation process.
Source: LA Times
Richard – thanks for the protocol info.
Michael:
“How about a national day of educating aggrieved urban residents to not break the laws? Let’s start with that. And then let’s all take a field trip to the National peace Officer’s Memorial in DC, or the one in your state. And for laughs, let’s tune in to the Chicago PD scanners tonight.”
I absolutely agree with you.
I do not believe the cops in this story acted with malice. Rather, they were likely untrained, lacked a med protocol, or for some reason didn’t follow it.
Darren – talk about just desserts!
Karen – thank you!
BFM, One of my pet peeves is when people don’t do their homework. We could have saved time and effort if you had simply done your due diligence. We don’t get that time back. But, I’m a man’s man. It’s over. You’re a good commenter and guy.
Haz, welcome aboard. I’m relatively new here as well and I’m still working through the various personalities.
BFM,. Huge strawman. Read my comments on the MANY cop abuse posts. I know you won’t, but read my comment @ 12:07p!! This was patently wrong and it is a pattern by the force I believe, as STATED @ 12:07, the most abusive in the country. Unlike so many people here, I live in the real world. It’s messy. It’s ugly. It’s not black and white most of the time. Hopefully you never need a cop.
@Nick: “From my angle, LA is probably the most abusive police dept. in the country.”
Thank you Nick. You have taken a stand.
I don’t know about the department. But I do believe the statements in this article indicate abuse by the officers involved. Of course, I believe they should judged on the evidence and not on supposition by those of us who have no direct knowledge of the situation. I don’t think there is anything cop-hating about that.
I want officers to be safe in the performance of their duties. I also want citizens to be safe what ever their interactions with officers. I don’t think there is anything contradictory about that.
And Darren, if you have questions regarding what what discussed in those tweets, I suggest you contact Professor Turley. He has my permission to tell you.
I am not able to find Prof. Turley’s email address on this blog. Would someone mind pointing it out? thanks.
Professor Turley’s e-Mail address can be found in the first paragraph of the Corrections tab screen:
http://jonathanturley.org/corrections/
Darren, with all due respect, it’s none of your business. I have contacted Professor Turley and I trust he knows how to handle this situation.
I offer an apology to the commenters here, and to Prof. Turley. I’m new to this blog, and had no intention of becoming involved in another commenter’s issues. I am sorry for the distraction – and perplexed as to it’s cause and reason.
HOT.
Haz, I did not indicate it was YOU that sought out other Turley blog commenters on Twitter. I suggest it would be wise to drop the issue before you get deleted. Pot stirring online offline, the pot gets really got and the contents will burn you.
Darren, have contacted Professor Turley regarding this issue. I won’t discuss it here. I will say that it is “dirty tricks” indeed when a Turley blog commenter goes onto Twitter, seeks out other Turley blog commenters for the purpose of smearing them to other Turley blog commenters. Low and vile.
I ask again Annie. Did you Make a comment to Haz on his Twitter account without him contacting you first and tell him that he was on thin ice?
Darren: The exact tweet language is: “I suggest you be very very careful here. You are treading on thin ice. I have alerted Prof Turley”
I did not contact Annie; I wouldn’t know how to contact her if I wanted. I have saved the tweet. It was sent under a specific twitter handle, and was the second tweet sent under that name in a newly-opened account. I will send the name of the twitter handle privately to Prof Turley or to his designated administrator. I do not think I should post it here.
Michael Haz, I don’t think Professor Turley approves of off line disputes being brought here. However when a commenter from this blog goes off line, seeks out other Turley commenters to tell lies about them, there is a problem.
Whoever you are, leave me out of your nonsense.
Annie,
Are the allegations made by Michael Haz at 8:54 true? Specifically: “In the past few minutes she found my twitter address and sent a tweet advising that I am “on thin ice” and that she has alerted Prof Turley”
Darren: I have not sought out any other commenter on this blog “off line” or on any other social media, including Twitter. The “on thin ice” tweet I previously mentioned was made specifically for the purpose of stalking me. Its avi was an egg, and the user had only one tweet of record.
Since this afternoon marks my first appearance as a commenter on this blog, I am a bit puzzled about this. Do commenters here usually stalk on another?
BFM, Hardly anyone here has a clue what it’s like to work in a combat zone every day. Darren does. I am not an apologist for cops. Read my comments. I call them out on their behavior. I just tire of the constant drumbeat from the cop haters here who NEVER have anything positive to say. Here’s what I know, when they’re in a bind. When they wander into a neighborhood unlike their lily white ones they live, they’re going to want a tough cop to help them. And, they won’t care if they rough up a bad guy a little.
For the record, I do not know nor have I met the commenter called Annie. Why she assumes familiarity in her comments referencing me is anyone’s guess. None the less, the familiarity is unwelcome. In the past few minutes she found my twitter address and sent a tweet advising that I am “on thin ice” and that she has alerted Prof Turley.
BFM, Spinelli often talks about how horrible the Milwaukee police department is and has insulted my brother personally, it seems odd that he says that we are cop haters here. But some things don’t make sense except to simply interpret it as pot stirring. This police abuse nation wide is a very serious issue and we don need to be called cop haters when we bring attention to it.
And Spinelli, I’ve never been on Workmans Comp, nor have I ever applied for it, just an FYI, be careful of what you tell other commenters from the Turley blog about me, especially when it’s a lie.
ShakingMyHead, I included one example of how to change things in my comment above, but you obviously missed it. If you need some historical perspective on how people have actually effected change, read today’s story in The New Yorker, about Ferguson, Missouri.
Oh, and quit making it sound like I voted or I am responsible for the runaway government that enables elite monopoly and exploitation. I’m for leveling the playing field. You are probably to blame, yourself, though you’re witless about it.
Bullets and Ballots
BY JELANI COBB
SEPTEMBER 1, 2014 ISSUE
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/01/bullets-ballots
LOL! Haz are you spooked by me? This may prove to be interesting, but it’s not Althouse or Lem’s.