Cops and paramedics treat Jesus Lopez Barcenas, in the gurney, after his arrest in Boulder, Colorado. One of the paramedics is facing a manslaughter charge (Boulder County Prosecutor”s Office).
A Colorado paramedic is facing a manslaughter charge after he sedated and restrained a handcuffed man who later went into cardiac arrest and died.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty announced the charges against Edward McClure on Friday, saying the paramedic’s “reckless acts” led to the “untimely and tragic death” of 36-year-old Jesus Lopez Barcenas. The charges came out of Dougherty’s use of force investigation after Barcenas’ arrest on Dec. 27. Barcenas died two days later.
The incident unfolded around 8:15 a.m. on that late December day, when Boulder police responded to a suspicious person call on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder, prosecutors wrote in a synopsis of events. When cops arrived on the scene, Barcenas allegedly ignored their questions and refused to sit down, saying a nearby building was on fire. Officers tried to put Barcenas into handcuffs but he allegedly resisted and started to grab one of their guns. A struggle ensued, but eventually cops were able to handcuff him.
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Much of the ordeal was captured on officers’ body camera footage.
McClure and other paramedics from American Medical Response (AMR) arrived on the scene to treat any patients who needed assistance. Cops told McClure that he needed to check out Barcenas before they could take him to jail. Before evaluating Barcenas, McClure allegedly injected him with 5 milligrams of Droperidol, a sedative, in the buttocks while saying “I love holes in the pants.” They then put the suspect face down on a gurney in a prone position.
“Now let’s strap the crap out of him,” McClure said, according to the report.
Cops and paramedics then placed Barcenas in the back of the ambulance and started to put the seatbelt on him. He was still face down and handcuffed, per prosecutors.
“Just keep him face down,” McClure allegedly said. “I don’t care. Oh, just go over his arms. I don’t want to move him.”
McClure also placed a “spit sock” mask over Barcenas’ head, prosecutors said. The mask helps prevent arrested suspects from spewing bodily fluids at first responders, but Barcenas was not spitting at anyone, prosecutors noted.
Barcenas’ condition took a turn for the worse on the ride to the hospital, the report said. McClure was administering CPR as they arrived and rolled him to the emergency department. He died two days later.
An autopsy determined Barcenas died of “sudden cardiac arrest following a prolonged physical altercation and struggle, which included prone positioning and the use of restraints and a sedative (butyrophenone) medication.” The toxic effects of methamphetamine also contributed to his death, prosecutors said. Barcenas had a bag of meth on him when he was arrested, according to cops. The manner of death was listed as homicide.
According to prosecutors, AMR fired McClure three days after the incident for violating “several of their polices and protocols in his treatment of Mr. Barcenas.” It is against AMR policy to place handcuffed subjects face down on a gurney, prosecutors wrote.
Dougherty cleared police officers of any wrongdoing.
“However, the reckless acts of the paramedic led to the untimely and tragic death of Mr. Barcenas. Our prosecution team will fight hard to secure the right outcome in this criminal prosecution, particularly for the loving family of Mr. Barcenas and for this community,” Dougherty wrote.
