Phillip Garcia
Phillip Soto Garcia Jr., 51, of Cathedral City, was described by his family as a man whose behavior during a severe psychiatric episode was completely out of character for him. He was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on March 22, 2017, then placed in isolation and restraints and taken to a Moreno Valley hospital, where he died on March 24, 2017. An amended death certificate lists multiple factors, including homicide and sudden death in schizophrenia, and the family's federal wrongful death suit against Riverside County, Cathedral City and deputies alleges excessive force and mistreatment in custody. The county and city could not immediately be reached for comment, and ABC7 reported that the coroner ruled the death a homicide while the department denied wrongdoing.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner ruled the death a homicide, and the family's federal lawsuit says deputies used excessive force and control methods during his arrest and custody; the amended death certificate also cites schizophrenia and a seizure disorder, and ProPublica reports he was held in restraints for more than 20 hours during a mental health crisis, pleaded for help, and that the department denied wrongdoing.
Reported by: Riverside County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him); county coroner; family's federal wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); ProPublica investigation (reporters).
Lawsuit: His family sued Riverside County, Cathedral City and deputies in federal court over his death, and the county settled the wrongful death lawsuit for nearly $1 million.