- OFF THE WIRE
- by JJ Hensley - Dec. 23, 2011 09:45 PM
The Arizona Republic - Maricopa Co AZ sheriff’s dept released video footage (above) from jail surveillance cameras showing how a detainee was taken down and tasered multiple times before he was dragged into a “safe room” where he was stripped and left motionless on the floor. That man later died and the incident is under investigation, as we tracked previously. [NA] bit.ly/ugdKjX
- It took 10 Phoenix police and Maricopa County sheriff's officers to wrestle Ernest "Marty" Atencio to the ground during a struggle Dec. 16 in the Fourth Avenue Jail that ended with Atencio receiving CPR and leaving the facility on a stretcher.
- Atencio died at a Phoenix hospital five days after the incident when his family decided to take him off life support.
Atencio's struggle with the police and sheriff's detention officers occurred about 90 minutes after he arrived at the Fourth Avenue Jail after Phoenix police arrested him on assault charges. In a jailhouse video, a Phoenix police officer can be seen placing his arm around Atencio's upper chest or neck before Atencio is taken to the floor and surrounded by the officers. Atencio kicks and struggles on the floor, surrounded by 10 officers who wrestle with him before an unidentified sheriff's deputy deploys a Taser that appears to defuse the situation.
The video later shows eight sheriff's officers surrounding Atencio in a padded cell, where they dragged the 44-year-old Gulf War veteran after he was subdued. Once in the cell, the sheriff's officers continue to struggle with Atencio, although the crowd in the small room makes it difficult to see Atencio, who is on the floor.
The Sheriff's Office on Friday released surveillance video of the fight between officers and the inmate in response to numerous requests from the media. Sheriff's officials declined further comment, citing the ongoing investigation into the struggle that ultimately ended with Atencio dead.
A Phoenix police spokesman said that the Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation and that the video speaks for itself. - http://www.azcentral.com/video/1344638780001
Michael Manning, an attorney representing Atencio's family, declined to comment at the request of the family. Manning said Atencio's family is "deeply grieving" his death and will schedule a memorial service after the medical examiner and an independent expert conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Shortly after the Taser is deployed, officers carry Atencio into a "safe cell" -- a padded room designed to reduce inmates' ability to injure themselves or others.
Eight sheriff's officers join Atencio in the cell after they drag him into the room as they continue to struggle with him and attempt to remove his clothes. After several minutes, the officers leave and Atencio remains facedown, naked and motionless with his arms around his head.
After several minutes, Atencio's stomach moves with a heaving sigh.
Less than 10 minutes later, with Atencio still motionless, the door to the cell opens and sheriff's officers enter with weapons and shields. The weapons and shields are quickly set aside and replaced with medical equipment as the security check turns into a rescue effort. The officers are joined by health-care workers, who help the officers try to revive Atencio by performing CPR and attaching a defribulator to his chest. The officers and health-care workers perform CPR for more than 10 minutes until paramedics with the Phoenix Fire Department arrive and drag Atencio's limp body into the hall, where he is loaded onto a gurney and transported to the hospital.
Atencio died at St. Joseph's Hospital on Wednesday after family members decided to take him off life support.
"He was brain-dead," Manning said at the time.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/12/23/20111223phoenix-inmate-restraint-video-released.html#ixzz1hT42L0v4
