Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 21, 2025

As usual: California man died screaming ‘I can’t breathe’ as police restrained him, video shows

As usual: California man died screaming ‘I can’t breathe’ as police restrained him, video shows

Newly released clip from two years ago shows Edward Bronstein being forced to a mat with at least five officers holding him down
A southern California man died nearly two years ago as he screamed “I can’t breathe” while multiple officers restrained him as they tried to take a blood sample, according to records and a video.

Edward Bronstein, 38, was taken into custody by California highway patrol (CHP) officers on 31 March 2020 following a traffic stop. Bronstein died less than two months before George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis as he, too, repeatedly told officers “I can’t breathe.”

A nearly 18-minute video, taken by a CHP sergeant at the Altadena station, was released on Tuesday after a judge’s order to make it public. Bronstein’s family has filed a federal lawsuit against the officers, alleging excessive force and a violation of civil rights. The family is also calling for the officers to be criminally charged by the Los Angeles county district attorney.

The LA county coroner’s office ruled Bronstein’s cause of death as “acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement”. A copy of the autopsy report was not immediately available.

“When the nation was in an uproar over the George Floyd tragedy, we had no idea this had also happened to Mr Bronstein,” said Luis Carrillo, an attorney for Bronstein’s family.

A spokesperson for the LA county district attorney’s office said “the matter remains under review”.

“In my view the officers demonstrated a callous disregard for the value of human life and their actions should be investigated as potentially being criminal conduct,” said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University who studies police behavior and misconduct.

The state attorney general’s office is representing the highway patrol and the officers in the federal lawsuit, and referred media inquiries to CHP. Officer Shanelle Gonzalez, a spokesperson for CHP, said the agency was declining to comment on the case because of the pending litigation.

Governor Gavin Newsom, in September 2021, signed a law barring police from using certain face-down holds that have led to multiple unintended deaths. The law was passed after Bronstein’s death and was aimed at expanding on the state’s ban on chokeholds in the wake of Floyd’s murder.

Stinson said the dangers are well known, but in this case the officers had a mat prepared, making it seem “like this was a routine occurrence for the officers, that they would take someone to the mat face down to gain compliance in order to get what they want”.

Moreover, their comments on camera seemed to indicate that they were of a mind “to teach somebody a lesson: ‘Well, if you’re not going to comply with what we want you to do, we’re going to do this the hard way and it’s going to be painful for you,’” said Stinson, who reviewed the video at the request of the Associated Press.

Finally, Stinson said, “It seemed that they were treating the incident as if the man was pretending to be unconscious. It did not seem to register with the officers that there was a medical emergency for many, many minutes.”

Family members say Bronstein was terrified of needles and believe that’s why he was reluctant to comply with the CHP initially as they tried to take a blood sample. In the video, an officer tells Bronstein they have a court order – an assertion that Carrillo doubts was true.

An officer tells Bronstein to take a seat for the sample: “This is your last opportunity. Otherwise you’re going face down on the mat and we’re gonna keep on going.”

Several officers force the handcuffed man to the mat as he shouts “I’ll do it willingly! I’ll do it willingly, I promise!”, the video shows. At least five officers continue to hold him down – the lawsuit alleges they put their knees on his back – as he screams “I’ll do it! I’ll do it! I promise!”

One officer replies: “It’s too late.”

Bronstein begins screaming “I can’t breathe!” and “I can’t!” before the blood is taken, shouting it about eight times and pleading for help as the officers continue to restrain him on the ground.

“Stop yelling!” an officer yells back.

Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, didn’t blame the officers but said due to public sentiment, police agencies have to make it clear that their officers cannot engage in such confrontations except under the most dire circumstances.

“This is just an utterly explosive potential situation,” said O’Donnell, who also reviewed the video at the AP’s request. “If they’re not compliant, no longer can the police be having these wrestling matches with people because the consequences are deemed to far out-risk any benefit.”

Bronstein’s screams get softer and he soon falls silent. Even though he’s not responsive, a medical professional continues to draw blood as the officers hold him down.

They note he may not have a pulse and does not appear to be breathing. The officers and the medical professional slap Bronstein’s face, saying, “Edward, wake up.”

More than 11 minutes after Bronstein’s last screams, they begin CPR.

The lawsuit names nine officers and one sergeant.

The officers are Carlos Villanueva, Christopher Sanchez-Romero, Darren Parsons, Diego Romero, Dusty Osmanson, Eric Voss, Justin Silva, Dionisio Fiorella and Marciel Terry. Also named is Sgt Michael Little.

An attorney for the medical professional said the firm that employs him was “heartbroken” to learn of the death.

Attorney John C Kelly said in a statement that the company does not participate in the arrest or physical handling of anyone, and just takes blood samples for testing.

They are not there to provide medical clearance or evaluation, and most do not have that training.

That was true in this case, he wrote, and when Bronstein became unresponsive, the company’s employee “provided what help he could under the circumstances”.

A second video, more than 12 minutes long, shows the officers’ and paramedics’ unsuccessful attempts to revive Bronstein.

One officer tells the paramedics that Bronstein had been complaining of “shortness of breath”.

“When we rolled him back over, he was turning blue,” he said.

Soon after, someone reminds the group: “Everybody’s on camera.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×