Coroner’s Report Says Choke Hold Not Direct Cause of Inmate’s Death

Albert Manuel Varela died in the County Jail downtown after an altercation with deputies who placed him in a choke hold, but the neck restraint was not the direct cause of death, according to the autopsy report released Thursday.

Instead, the county coroner’s office ruled, Varela, 28, died of cardiorespiratory arrest after the Jan. 21 struggle with deputies, in which jail authorities said Varela was placed in a sleeper hold after he became violent.

The autopsy report describes the death as a homicide, meaning Varela died at the hands of another person. However, the report does not provide details about the choke hold that was used or how long it lasted.

The restraint, often used by law enforcement officers to immobilize people, cuts off blood to the brain from the carotid artery, causing the person to faint.

An $8-million claim filed last week by Varela’s family contends that the deputies were engaged in “ultra-hazardous and dangerous activity” when they used the hold.

The autopsy report lists nine scrapes or bruises around Varela’s head and neck, including a 3-by-2-inch abrasion near his chin. Also found were 14 scratches and scrapes on the rest of his body, including “slight press blanching consistent with handcuffs.”

The report also notes that Varela weighed 286 pounds and suffered from a slightly enlarged heart and arteriosclerosis, and that his liver had undergone a “fatty change” that officials said was consistent with obesity and alcoholism.

The report says paramedics called to the jail “indicated that Varela had apparently become violent in the jail and was involved in an altercation with deputies.”

“He was subdued by deputies, and, shortly thereafter, he collapsed with possible cardiac arrest,” it says.

Deputy Victor Ray, interviewed by a deputy coroner at UC San Diego Medical Center, said Varela was received at the downtown jail on the afternoon of Jan. 21 on a charge of disobeying a court order against domestic violence, according to the report.

“The decedent had been in the receiving area in the phone tank,” the report says. “The decedent became involved in a fight in the tank, and a carotid restraint was applied by Deputy Roy Devault.

“The decedent became unresponsive and was then carried to the G cell, which is a padded cell. The time of the occurrence was approximately 11 p.m., and the jail nurse was also contacted at that same time.”

The family’s claim alleges that deputies were negligent in not providing immediate medical care and that they also failed to provide adequate emergency equipment at the facility.

Sheriff’s officials declined to comment Thursday, saying their homicide unit is still investigating the case.

Linda Miller, a spokeswoman for the district attorney, said her office expects to receive the homicide reports next week and will then conduct its own review.