The Los Angeles Times reports that seven officers with the California Highway Patrol and a nurse are facing manslaughter charges concerning the death of a suspected DUI motorist in 2020.
According to the press release, six officers and a sergeant filmed the incident involving Edward Bronstein, who was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol in 2020
Arrest report documents indicate that Bronstein was pulled over on the 5 Freeway by CHP Officer Dusty Osmanson on suspicion of DUI. He was taken into custody and taken to the CHP’s Altadena station.
Once there, Bronstein was asked to submit to a blood alcohol test to measure his level of intoxication. Bronstein refused. Then officer Osmansan, assisted by other CHP officers and a nurse, forcibly drew Bronstein’s blood.
Last year, Bronstein’s family filed a wrongful death suit against the CHP. During discovery, attorneys for the plaintiff found that there was a video of the incident. Despite all attempts by the law enforcement agency and the state of California to keep the footage undisclosed, a federal judge ruled that the family had a right to see the video. This Tuesday, the video was released to the public.
As the CHP officers held Bronstein down to draw blood, he could repeatedly be heard screaming that he could not breathe. Eventually, Bronstein passed out and never regained consciousness.
“The state of California did not want us to release this video,” civil rights attorney Luis Carrillo told reporters. “Thank God that the judge agreed with us, and that is why you can now see this video. It’s horrible, but it’s the only way his family can get some justice.”
Bronstein’s family asserts that when he told the officers he could not breathe, they should have stopped, but they didn’t. Now, they are suing the state for wrongful death, civil rights violations, assault and battery, and failure to render adequate medical care.
