LA Police Release Arrest Video Of Suspect Complaining He Can't Breath, Ends Up Dying, Suspect Was White So No Outcry

A Southern California man died nearly two years ago as he screamed “I can't breathe” while multiple officers restrained him as they tried to take a blood sample, according to records and a video.

Edward Bronstein, 38, was taken into custody by California Highway Patrol officers on March 31, 2020, following a traffic stop. Bronstein died less than two months before George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis as he, too, repeatedly told officers “I can’t breathe.”

A nearly 18-minute video, taken by a CHP sergeant at the Altadena station, was released on Wednesday after a judge's order to make it public. Bronstein’s family has filed a federal lawsuit against the officers, alleging excessive force and a violation of civil rights. The family is also calling for the officers to be criminally charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney.

The LA County coroner’s office ruled Bronstein’s cause of death as “acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement.” A copy of the autopsy report was not immediately available.

“When the nation was in an uproar over the George Floyd tragedy, we had no idea this had also happened to Mr. Bronstein,” said Luis Carrillo, an attorney for Bronstein's family.

A spokesperson for the LA County District Attorney's Office said “the matter remains under review.”