Family of Man Who Died in Police Custody in 2013 Gets $450K Settlement

The Oakland City Council approved a $450,000 settlement on Tuesday for the family of a man who died in police custody in 2013. Hernan Jaramillo, 53, died after his sister, Ana Biocini, called Oakland police to the home they shared at 2365 E. 21st St. in Oakland, according to a complaint filed on behalf of the family by attorney DeWitt Lacy.

Jarmillo was making a lot of noise in his bedroom at about 1:30 a.m. on July 8, 2013. Frightened that there was an intruder in the house, Biocini called 911 and barricaded herself in her bedroom. When police arrived, she handed them the keys to the home through her bedroom window. Officers Carlos Navarro and Ira Anderson came inside and spoke to Biocini and she said she heard the noise coming from her brother’s bedroom, according to the complaint.

The officers then knocked on Jaramillo’s door and when he opened it, they grabbed him. His sister identified him, but police put him in handcuffs and started forcing him out of the house as she pleaded with them to stop, according to the complaint. Neighbors gathered outside because of the commotion also identified Jaramillo as a resident of the house, but they tried to force him into a patrol car.

Jaramillo struggled with the officers and Navarro and Anderson threw him on the ground, dragging him about 20 feet on his back to the sidewalk. They threw him to the ground again, this time face down. Officer Steven Stout held his knee in Jaramillo’s back and other officers used their weight to hold him down as he struggled to breathe and pleaded with the officers to stop, according to the complaint. Suddenly he became unresponsive. The officers flipped him over, limp and lifeless. He was covered in blood and his head dropped back loudly on the pavement, according to the complaint.

The officers performed CPR and called an ambulance, and he was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland but succumbed to his injuries there. Police said that day that they had detained the main for a psychiatric evaluation but he struggled when the officers tried to put him in a patrol car.

In announcing the settlement with the family at the City Council meeting Tuesday, Supervising City Attorney Doryanna Moreno said the officers were not aware that Jaramillo was Biocini’s brother as they took him into custody. City officials said the City Council voted 6-0 to award the $450,000 settlement. Councilman Larry Reid was not at the meeting and Councilwoman Desley Brooks abstained.

By Bay City News

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