Tranquilino was walking in the 3300 block of Maxson Road when he attracted the attention of police, who suspected he was carrying narcotics. He sprinted down the street and climbed over several chain-link fences before being grabbed by an officer, police said.
At the time of Tranquilino's death, El Monte's then-police chief, Bill Ankeny, said that police had used a control hold to restrain the man.