Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office completed a review of the in-custody death of a man, determining officers used reasonable force against him.
The findings come on the heels of a $1.5-million settlement reached in a lawsuit against the city of Pasadena in the death of 35-year-old Reginald Thomas Jr. If approved by a judge, the settlement will come without the city having to admit liability or fault in Thomas’ death, according to a statement released by Pasadena officials. The findings, provided by the District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division stated that based on investigative reports, witness statements, audio recordings, photographs, video, 9-1-1 recordings and a coroner autopsy report, “all the force used by the officers appears to have been reasonable under the circumstances. Thus, even if the officers’ use of force contributed to Thomas’ death, their use of force was not unlawful,” according to Lisa Derderain, acting public information officers for the Pasadena city manager’s office. City officials stated previously Thomas’ death resulted from dangerous amounts of PCP and methamphetamine in his system and not from the force used to subdue him, even though The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner previously stated the cause of Thomas’ death was undetermined. The lawsuit was filed by Thomas’ family in November of 2016, alleging Pasadena Police officers used excessive force and conspired to cover up Thomas’ death. Pasadena Police officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls, some from Thomas’ family, of a domestic disturbance inside an apartment unit in the 200 block of East Orange Grove Boulevard September 30, 2016. Arriving officers reportedly found Reginald Thomas outside the apartment, armed with a fire extinguisher, which was sprayed inside the unit and dagger tucked under one arm. His girlfriend and four children were inside the apartment. Thomas is a father of eight. Thomas appeared to be under the influence of drugs and slammed the door on the officers, Pasadena Police said. After refusing to comply and drop the items he armed himself with, Pasadena officers attempted to physically subdue Thomas and used a stun gun to restrain him. Thomas later became unresponsive. Officers began CPR on Thomas who died at the apartment complex. None of the officers involved in the struggle with Thomas were disciplined or placed on leave, Derderian said. “We want to thank the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for their comprehensive work and for their commitment to finding the truth in this manner,” said Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell. “The loss of Reginald Thomas’ life was tragic, but the District Attorney’s review concludes that the responding Pasadena Police officers acted within reason and their use of force was lawful. Thomas’ death sparked anger and protests in the community over the fact that Thomas, a Black man, died just after a police altercation. |
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