Jorge Azucena, 26

Los Angeles, California
October 24, 2013

Agencies: Los Angeles Police Department California LAPD

Cause of death: Not Yet Known


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Last updated: almost 6 years ago

Overview

The LA Police Commission's inspector general and Police Chief Charlie Beck reported that police officers in Los Angeles ignored pleas for help and complaints by a man who said he couldn’t breathe and later died in custody, reports show.

The two reports indicated that officers didn’t take Jorge Azucena seriously and one sergeant told him: “You can talk, so you can breathe,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “There should not be any question that when somebody in custody is heard to say ‘I cannot breathe,’ the officers should promptly call for an ambulance,” said Robert Saltzman, a member of the civilian Police Commission that oversees the LAPD.

Legal Action

April 2015 Settlement $1.35million