ALAMEDA — The city of Alameda on Thursday announced two settlements with the family of Mario Gonzalez, who died in April 2021 after being restrained by police officers.
Gonzalez’s estate will receive $11 million and his mother will receive $350,000, the city said in a statement.
Related Articles
Santa Clara County supervisors back direct access to non-police mental health team
Pleasant Hill leaders defend police decision to ‘disengage’ with barricaded ex-detective
South Bay proposal would create direct line for non-police mental health response
Widow blames suicide of LA County sheriff’s deputy on excessive overtime
Alameda County DA won’t seek charges against Fremont cop after second look at fatal 2021 shooting
“The separate settlement agreements with the estate of Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Gonzalez’s mother, both of which are in the process of being finalized, are expected to provide that payment shall fully and forever discharge and release all claims and causes of action,” the city said.
“The parties further agreed that the settlement shall not be construed as an admission by any party of liability or any fact that might give rise to liability for any purpose,” the city said.
Gonzalez, 26, of Oakland, died on April 19, 2021, after three officers pinned him down for several minutes. The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau later ruled it a homicide, saying Gonzalez’s death was due in part to “the stress of the altercation and restraint.”
Methamphetamine use and obesity also played a role in the heart attack that killed Gonzalez, according to the coroner’s bureau.
The officers — James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinely — were trying to detain Gonzalez after a report that someone matching his description was trying to take anti-theft devices off liquor bottles at Scout Park in the 800 block of Oak Street in Alameda.
Nancy O’Malley, the Alameda County district attorney at the time, declined to file charges against the officers. However, her successor, Pamela Price, announced plans in January to revisit the case, which drew comparisons to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In December 2021, Gonzalez’s family sued the city and the officers, alleging that the city was negligent in its hiring and training of the officers. The civil complaint also claimed Gonzalez died from the officers’ “excessive force, improper restraint, mechanical asphyxia, and positional, restraint, and compression asphyxiation of him.”
Gonzalez’s mother, Edith Arenales, also filed a federal suit against the officers in February 2022.
The city said it reached the settlements through its membership in the California Joint Powers Risk Management Authority. Once finalized, they will be funded through the authority, which worked with the city to manage the litigation and controls the funds.
Check back for updates.
