Inquiry Into Death at Jail Continues; Lakesider’s Parents Consider Lawsuit

Homicide detectives are still investigating the Jan. 22 death of a Lakeside man at the County Jail downtown after a violent fight with several deputies, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Albert Manuel Varela, 28, died at UC San Diego Medical Center, where he was taken after the 11 p.m. altercation. Earlier in the day, Varela had been arrested for a misdemeanor offense stemming from a violation of a court order that prohibited him from going to his parents’ house.

The sheriff’s first report of the incident said 6-foot, 200-pound Varela died after a deputy used a carotid hold to restrain him.

According to the department’s version of the episode, Varela picked a fight with several deputies as he was being taken from one room to another.

Victim Allegedly Provoked

However, several inmates who saw the incident have told an attorney hired by Varela’s family that he was provoked by at least four deputies who kicked him and beat him with their fists and a baton.

On Monday, Varela’s mother, Rose Varela, and other family members held a press conference to announce that they have hired attorney Manny Sanchez to possibly file a wrongful-death suit against the county.

Steve Douglas, who at the time was a jail inmate and witnessed the incident, said in an interview with The Times that a Hispanic deputy provoked Varela by making an obscene remark to him while doing a strip search. Douglas, who was a trusty, said the deputy did one strip search but told Varela he would have to repeat the process.

When Varela objected, the deputy hit him on the neck with his right elbow, Douglas said.

At this point, three other deputies joined the Hispanic deputy and handcuffed Varela. The four deputies dragged the naked man into another room and closed the door, Douglas said.

‘You Could Hear Thumps’

“You could hear the four deputies teeing off on this guy,” Douglas said. “One deputy took his baton with him and you could hear the inmate yelling, ‘Oh, my God! Please don’t beat me no more!’

“You could hear thumps. You could hear them slamming something down on the floor. He (inmate) was crying. They beat him for about four minutes.”

After the beating, the four deputies walked out of the room, Douglas said. The deputies had blood on their uniforms and at least two of them had blood on their hands; another was wiping off his baton, he added.

Varela was left in the room, still naked, Douglas said. A few minutes later, a deputy went to check on him and ran back to tell the others that he was not moving.

“He (deputy) looked like he was in shock,” Douglas said. “He said, ‘Hey, guys, I think we’ve got a problem.’ ”

According to Douglas, two deputies dragged Varela’s body into the hallway and tried to revive him. Afterward, the deputies stood around and talked about what they were going to tell investigators, he added. Investigators have since talked to the deputies but not to Douglas.

“One deputy asked the Hispanic deputy who provoked the fight if he wanted them (deputies) to say that they went in to help him . . . but the deputy said that he was going to tell the investigators that he (Varela) wouldn’t listen to him and he refused to strip,” Douglas said.

Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Bill Baxter refused to comment on the incident except to say the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office. Representatives of the coroner said they could not comment on the autopsy because of the ongoing investigation.

Lawsuit Is Expected

Roberto Martinez, co-chairman of the Chicano Federation, charged that the Sheriff’s Department and coroner are stalling the investigation. The group has called for a county investigation of several controversial inmate deaths at county jails in 1987 and in the first two months of this year.

Meanwhile, Sanchez said he is interviewing witnesses and expects to file a lawsuit.

“Their stories closely parallel each other and are made more credible by the fact that they don’t know each other,” Sanchez said. “They’re independent witnesses who didn’t like what they saw and chose to report it.”