Daniel Rivera

Daniel Rivera, 37, was pronounced dead after police responded to a call that a man was seen trying to break into homes in an Arleta neighborhood, according to the suit filed in April 2021 on behalf of his family in Los Angeles federal court.

According to the federal suit, police officers tased Daniel Rivera four times and kneeled on his back after he had surrendered and was on his stomach in a paved wash in the Arleta neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in August 2020.

The lawsuit alleges that Rivera had surrendered, posed no threat and had shown signs of struggling to breathe yet even after he lay motionless, officers didn’t perform first aid and delayed calling for medical help.

The coroner’s report found no evidence that he suffered asphyxiation but it concluded the death was homicide and cited “law enforcement restraint maneuvers and methamphetamine use” as contributing factors. The report also noted that Rivera had an enlarged heart but said that was not related to the immediate cause of death. The LAPD says it cannot comment on pending litigation.

In June 2021, the family of Daniel Rivera, who died of cardiac arrest after being tased, hogtied, and left in a prone position by police last summer, rallied outside LAPD headquarters in a peaceful protest. They also demands Gascon fulfill his duties as district attorney and follow through on promises to hold killer cops accountable.