Man dies after police intervention outside a McDonald's
Officers used a Taser in an attempt to arrest him and also used rubber bullets in the midst of the police intervention.
A 911 call from the manager of the McDonald's restaurant near the intersection of Brookhurst Road and Orangethorpe Avenue in Fullerton alerted to the presence of two homeless men who were acting erratically outside the business and who was concerned about the safety of the employees who would soon arrive for the morning shift.
When Fullerton Police Department officers arrived, they found two men, one of whom was shirtless. The shirtless man, later identified as Alejandro Campos Ríos, 50, began singing and complaining in English and Spanish while waving his belt as officers approached him.
Officers attempted to talk to him as he continued to move erratically around his belt. The first officer to arrive said Rios was under the influence of drugs.
"A Taser was used. We were hoping to use it to subdue the subject and take him into custody. Unfortunately, it was ineffective," said Sergeant Ryan O'Neil.
Subsequently, in the attempt to subdue Ríos, an officer fired four "Puf" type bullets at the suspect. "Puf" bullets are typically made of soft, lightweight materials that reduce the risk of serious injury compared to conventional bullets.
When officers approached Rios, they noticed that he was bleeding from his chest and had lost a lot of blood. They attempted to treat the wound before paramedics took him to a local hospital where he later died.
Fullerton police said one of the bullets from the bean bag went through Rios' chest. The department said the bullets were fired within the recommended effective range.
The events occurred on March 6, 2024, but Fullerton police recently released the video from the body cameras of the officers involved.