- Marco Antonio Napoles Rosales died after being arrested by agents of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department (SDSD) on August 16, 2018 in the middle of a struggle in which electric shocks were used against the victim.
San Diego County, California, will pay more than $1.3 million to the family of a Mexican man who died at the hands of sheriffs in 2018, Mexican authorities reported Friday.
Marco Antonio Napoles Rosales died after being arrested by San Diego Sheriff’s Department (SDSD) deputies on August 16, 2018.
The SDSD report noted that one of its agents responded to a call made by a gas station attendant in Fallbrook, San Diego County, about a man refusing to leave the station store. .
After several minutes and several times in which the agent asked him to leave the business because it was private property, a struggle began because Napoles refused to hand over his backpack to be searched, SDSD added.
When they fell to the ground, Napoles was still resisting arrest, and eight more officers arrived to help the officer make the arrest. To do this, they used a stun gun and a straitjacket.
In the midst of the struggle, Napoles received at least six shocks while screaming for help, until he went into cardiac arrest and died while being taken to hospital.
Relatives alleged that Naples had had a “bad day” due to lack of money, having to walk several kilometers to the gas station, since he did not have a cell phone.
The deceased Mexican’s mother, Dolores Rosales, filed a lawsuit against San Diego County, which was supported by the Mexican Consulate in San Diego.
The lawsuit states that Napoles was unarmed when he was arrested and had no criminal record.
Following the allegations, the county agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle the lawsuit.
“We hope that this case will serve to remind everyone that the excessive use of force is not acceptable under any circumstances,” Gutiérrez stressed.