Death of man in LAPD custody probed

Source: LAT

A man who complained he was struggling to breathe died in Los Angeles police custody last month after officers ignored his repeated pleas for help, according to multiple law enforcement sources who reviewed a videotape of the incident.

Two officers taking 26-year-old Jorge Azucena to an LAPD station were dismissive of his "numerous, numerous statements about trouble breathing and (needing) help," said one source. At one point, an officer responded to Azucena with a quip along the lines of, "If you can talk, you can breathe," the source recalled.

The Times confirmed the contents of the recording with multiple sources, all of whom requested anonymity because the incident is under investigation. The recording came from a video camera installed in the patrol car.

Azucena had been detained late at night on Sept. 6 after a car and foot pursuit in South L.A. The officers drove him to the Southwest Division station, where he was placed in a cell. Sometime later, according to an LAPD news release, authorities noticed that Azucena was in distress. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 3:30 a.m. the next day, coroner records show.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-lapd-death-20131025,0,6708517.story