Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz
Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, a 59-year-old man, died on July 15, 2026, while held at the Van Nuys Regional Jail, which the LAPD runs as its Valley Jail Section. His brother, Jorge Hoyos, said Jose had a mental health illness that required medication, and the family had called police hoping officers would take him to a hospital for help. Video released by the LAPD shows detention officers restraining him, including face down on a bunk, and a newly released video shows staff striking him with knees and elbows while he was handcuffed, according to the World Socialist Web Site's account. Officers later found him unresponsive and not breathing, and staff attempted to revive him until Los Angeles Fire Department personnel took over, and he was pronounced dead. Mayor Karen Bass linked his death to a behavioral health crisis, and the LAPD's Force Investigation Division and the district attorney are reviewing the death, with no cause of death released yet.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). Video released by LAPD shows detention officers restraining him face down on a bunk and striking him with knees and elbows while handcuffed, and his family says he was left in his cell with a spit sock over his head after staff found him unresponsive; Mayor Karen Bass linked his death to a behavioral health crisis, and the cause of death has not been released.
Reported by: Los Angeles Police Department (the agency that held him); Mayor Karen Bass; news reports.