Shocking video shows death of California man pinned down by police as he says ‘I can’t breathe’

Disturbing shades of George Floyd

In a shocking video recently released for use in a federal wrongful death lawsuit, a California man can be seen being pinned down by police officers as he shouts "I can't breathe". The video was filmed two months before a similar incident took the life of George Floyd, sparking protests across the world and calls for police reform. Edward Bronstein, 38, was arrested in LA County on suspicion of DUI (driving under the influence) on March 31, 2020 and after multiple officers held him down to forcibly draw his blood and measure his alcohol level, he ultimately became unresponsive. As you can see in the highly uncomfortable watch, after being taken to the California Highway Patrol’s Altadena station, Bronstein reportedly refused to have his blood taken. A 16-minute struggle ensued in which he was starved of oxygen, and eventually stops moving.

Warning: distressing images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VLLQ1trWT0 In the full video, officers can be heard saying “You are bringing the fight to this, not us” and “you are going face-down on the mat and we going to keep on going”. Bronstein insists “I am not bringing the fight at all” and as more pressure is applied on his body, shouts: “I’ll do it willingly! I’ll do it willingly!” After realising Bronstein is no longer moving, officers try to wake him by slapping him on the head and eventually performing CPR to no avail - more than 11 minutes after his final pleas for help. As per the coroner's report in the court papers, he was deemed to have died from “acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement,” though it declared the cause as “undetermined". Bronstein's family are suing nine officers and a police sergeant for excessive force and a violation of civil rights - the officer listed are as follows: Carlos Villanueva, Christopher Sanchez-Romero, Darren Parsons, Diego Romero, Dusty Osmanson, Eric Voss, Justin Silva, Dionisio Fiorella and Marciel Terry. Sgt. Michael Little is also listed in the report. Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this incident is that it took place less than two months before George Floyd was killed during arrest by police officer Derek Chauvin as he famously shouted the same three words: "I can't breathe".

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