several officers were on top of Jimenez during the struggle: Warrenton, Oregon man's death in police custody
Investigation into Warrenton man's death in police custody finds no excessive force
An investigation into the death of a Warrenton man in police custody in April found officers did not use excessive force.
Alexander Jimenez, 34, was arrested at about 5 p.m. on April 17 by Warrenton police for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after he was seen walking into the street on S. Main Avenue.
An investigation was launched after a Warrenton man died in police custody in April.
A police officer used a Taser to subdue Jimenez, who was under the influence of methamphetamine. The Warrenton Fire Department removed Taser probes and treated Jimenez before he was taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria.
Jimenez was screened by a doctor from the police SUV in the ambulance bay because of coronavirus restrictions and medically cleared to go to the Clatsop County Jail.
At the sally port at the jail, Jimenez, who was handcuffed, yelled and spit at sheriff’s deputies from a back-seat window of the police SUV.
Body camera footage reviewed by The Astorian shows several deputies and officers were involved in pulling Jimenez out of the police SUV, pushing him to the ground, placing spit hoods over his head and applying ankle and leg restraints while he struggled.
During the struggle, deputies noticed blood coming from his mouth.
Before Jimenez could be placed in a restraint chair and taken into the jail, he went limp and lost consciousness. Efforts were made at the jail to revive him before he was taken back to Columbia Memorial, where he died.
The state medical examiner’s forensic report concluded the cause of Jimenez’s death was the toxic effects of methamphetamine and the manner of death was accidental. The report listed fatty liver disease and the application of the Taser as other significant conditions.
The forensic examination did not find physical injuries from the struggle at the jail that might have caused the death.
The Oregon State Police led the investigation for the Clatsop County Major Crimes Team and delivered the findings to the Clatsop County District Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Ron Brown determined Warrenton police had probable cause to arrest Jimenez and that “no excessive force was used at any juncture.”
The investigative report, reviewed by The Astorian, describes Jimenez as a veteran who was homeless before finding a Warrenton apartment last year through a social service agency. An advocate with The Thom-Boy Project who helped Jimenez with his government benefits and finances told investigators he had schizophrenia and used methamphetamine and heroin.
Jimenez, who the advocate described as Eskimo, Hispanic and Black, liked to dress in women’s clothes. He was known to Warrenton police after several episodes where he was seen yelling or behaving erratically in public.
The investigative report listed eight prior contacts Jimenez had with police, all of which were resolved without arrest.
His file with the police cautioned that Jimenez could have violent tendencies. The advocate told investigators he was afraid of police and terrified of going to jail.
The investigative report indicates that Warrenton police officers and sheriff’s deputies believed Jimenez was high on drugs and having a mental breakdown.
When police officers walked toward Jimenez in the street, body camera footage shows, he was talking to himself and one of the officers shouted, “Down on your knees, you’re under arrest.” Jimenez initially had his hands on his head but resisted the officers’ commands and was taken to the ground.
At several points, both during the arrest and later at the jail, Jimenez is heard shouting for help and demanding to know why he was being arrested. “They’re going to kill me,” he said before the Warrenton officer used the Taser.
A nurse who was working at Columbia Memorial the night Jimenez died told investigators she was concerned about the circumstances of Jimenez’s death. According to investigators, she said it was unusual for a 34-year-old, even someone with health issues and on methamphetamine, to go into cardiac arrest that way.
The nurse said she later heard one or more of the officers had kneeled on Jimenez during the struggle at the jail.
The doctor who screened Jimenez before he went to jail also flagged what he considered a discrepancy. The doctor told investigators that he had later spoken with an officer involved and was left with an impression vastly different than when Jimenez was brought back to the emergency room from the jail.
According to investigators, the doctor said the officer told him several officers were on top of Jimenez during the struggle.
Jimenez, who served in the U.S. Army, was buried at Willamette National Cemetery.
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