Deputies’ Actions in Death Ruled Lawful

After months reviewing the death of a Thousand Oaks man who died while being restrained by sheriff’s deputies, the Ventura County district attorney’s office concluded Monday that deputies acted lawfully and reasonably.

Marco Marangoni, 29, died Dec. 31 after a deputy doused him with pepper spray and three other deputies held him on the ground to handcuff him.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Greg Phillips concluded in his report that the deputies’ “level of force used was in direct response to Marangoni’s increased hostility.”

Deputies arrested Marangoni after residents on Calle Pensamiento in Thousand Oaks called authorities about 11 p.m., saying he was acting bizarrely and speaking incoherently.

The county medical examiner concluded that the man’s death was caused by several factors, including his weight of more than 300 pounds, his excited state and marijuana intoxication. Pepper spray was not listed as a factor.

Paramedics tried to revive Marangoni by pumping air through a tube into his lungs. However, an autopsy showed that the tube was placed in his esophagus, which leads to the stomach.

The coroner concluded that the placement of the breathing tube did not contribute significantly to Marangoni’s death.

Marangoni’s father, Fabrizio, said Monday that his son died because deputies mishandled the situation. His family filed a lawsuit against the department in May, contending that deputies used unnecessary force.

“The medical examiner’s report concluded he died of cardiac arrhythmia due to asphyxia during prone restraint,” his father said.

“When you spray anyone with pepper spray, the most important thing is that a person needs air--especially for someone over 200 pounds,” Fabrizio Marangoni said. “My son weighed 290 pounds and they put him face down with three or four officers on top of him, handcuffed, and he was kept there without breathing until he was dead.”