Full Breakdown
Los Angeles Police Department Releases Videos of Two Custody Deaths
8/30/2026, 2:38:13 AM
Incident Overview
In mid-July 2026 the Los Angeles Police Department released body-camera and security-camera footage of two separate incidents that resulted in deaths while in police custody. The first video shows officers beating handcuffed inmate Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, 58, at the Van Nuys Regional Jail on July 15. The second captures the fatal shooting of Alejandro Luis Garcia, 33, after he advanced toward officers with a baseball bat on July 29 in Harvard Heights.
Timeline
- July 13 – Hoyos-Munoz is arrested after a domestic-violence call.
- July 15 – Officers restrain Hoyos-Munoz in his cell; he is later found unconscious and not breathing.
- July 29 – Officers fire on Garcia following a 911 report that he was wielding a bat and damaging vehicles; he later dies of his injuries.
Details of the July 15 Custody Death
After booking, Hoyos-Munoz was placed in a holding cell. Officers entered, pinned him to the floor, and used a harnessed chair to move him. He spat at officers, prompting a spit hood. Later, after climbing onto a toilet, officers moved him onto a bunk and piled on top of him while he lay face-down. Detention officers performed wellness checks for about 20 minutes, noting signs of life before later finding him unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner has not released a cause or manner of death, and the state In-Custody Death Review (ICDR) Division will examine the incident.
Details of the July 29 Shooting
Garcia was reported to have been walking with a metal baseball bat, shattering car windows and threatening passersby. When he reached the officers, he grasped the bat with both hands and police opened fire. After the shots, Garcia fell, dropped the bat, and officers performed CPR before transporting him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. LAPD statements note the shooting but do not identify the officer(s) who fired.
Official Statements & Responses
Mayor Karen Bass described the videos as “incredibly difficult to watch” and called for an independent evaluation of officer-involved deaths involving people in mental-health crises. LAPD spokesperson Capt. Michael Bland said officers used force because Hoyos-Munoz was uncooperative and that detention officers checked on him for signs of life before his death. Bland also confirmed that the department’s internal inquiry will be supplemented by the ICDR investigation, and that the Medical Examiner’s findings are pending.
Data & Statistics
- Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz – age 58; died after multiple restraints, a spit hood, and a 20-minute wellness check.
- Alejandro Luis Garcia – age 33; died after being shot while holding a baseball bat.
- Five officers appear in the Hoyos-Munoz footage; the number of officers who fired on Garcia has not been disclosed.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Video of Garcia’s encounter shows officers shouting commands, but LAPD’s release described him as “swinging the bat” when shot, creating a discrepancy about his exact actions.
- The cause and manner of Hoyos-Munoz’s death remain undetermined pending the Medical Examiner’s report.
- The identity of the officer(s) who discharged their weapons in Garcia’s shooting has not been released.
Verbatim Quote
- “Decades of disinvestment in community-based mental and behavioral health services have left too many Angelenos without access to timely and appropriate care, increasing the likelihood that people in crisis will come into contact with law enforcement,” — Karen Bass, Los Angeles mayor
