Shocking footage shows LAPD beating handcuffed inmate shortly before he died – as woke mayor Karen Bass demands answers
Los Angeles police have released footage showing officers restraining, striking and kicking Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, 58, in his Van Nuys jail cell shortly before he was found unconscious and later pronounced dead on 15 July. The incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of police responses to people apparently experiencing mental health crises, and Mayor Karen Bass has ordered an independent review of LAPD officer-involved deaths.
Police said Hoyos-Munoz became erratic and combative, was handcuffed for safety after allegedly spitting at officers, and was left prone on his bed with his hands behind his back before he stopped breathing. He had been arrested two days earlier after allegedly stabbing his mother and another relative; the cause and manner of his death have not yet been released by the medical examiner. Bass cited his death and the later police shooting of Alejandro Luis Garcia as cases requiring examination of LAPD training, tactics and accountability.
- Footage shows officers restraining and striking a jailed man before his death.
- The medical examiner has not determined the cause of death.
- Los Angeles will independently review LAPD officer-involved deaths.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the independent review argue that footage of officers striking and kicking a handcuffed man who was then left prone raises serious questions about necessity, proportionality and duty of care. They contend that people in acute distress require carefully trained de-escalation and medical monitoring, particularly once restrained, and that transparent external scrutiny is essential to public confidence and meaningful accountability.
The case against
Those urging caution argue that officers were dealing with a detainee reported to be violently erratic, accused of serious assaults and allegedly spitting at staff, creating a genuine safety risk in a confined setting. They maintain that footage alone cannot establish whether force was reasonable in the full context or caused the death, and that conclusions should await the medical examiner’s findings and a thorough investigation that fairly considers officers’ split-second safety decisions.