Man Dies After Assaulting a Fireman

Los Angeles: A 44-year-old man died at a local hospital after being taken from the street of Mid-City where he had assaulted a firefighter.

On Wednesday, September 5, 2007, at around 11:30 PM, Rampart Area patrol officers Joel Miller and Thomas Andreas responded to assist LA City firemen who had responded on a service call of a man down near James M. Woods Boulevard and Carondelet Street.

Upon arrival the officers observed a male, later identified as Mario Aguilar, lying face down in the gutter.  As the firemen approached Aguilar to assess his medical condition, he grabbed the pant leg of one of the firemen, causing him to fall to the ground.  Officer Andreas knelt on Aguilar’s back and was able to remove Aguilar’s hands from the fireman’s leg and handcuffed him, while Officer Miller was holding Aguilar’s legs.  Moments after being restrained, Aguilar stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.  He was immediately un-handcuffed and transported by rescue ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. 

On September 6, 2007, at 11:05 AM, Aguilar was pronounced dead by hospital personnel.

The cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Officer Miller is 49 years of age and has been with the Department for 8 years and 11 months.  Officer Andreas is 29 years of age with 5 years 10 months with the Department.

Force Investigation Division personnel are investigating this incident as an In-Custody Death.