The family of the Rancho Cucamonga man who died says they don't believe he would have resisted arrest, and are accusing the officers of using excessive force.
On Thursday, Diego Rios was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family. On Friday, the 30-year-old was dead.
According to Claremont police, at least two people called in with complaints that a man was acting erratically and seemed to be under the influence of narcotics.
When officers arrived just after 3 p.m., they pulled Rios over at the intersection of Claremont Boulevard and Andrews Drive for suspicion of driving under the influence. The department says the officers ordered Rios to exit the vehicle, and that a "use-of-force incident" soon followed.
During that encounter, Rios became "unresponsive." Officers attempted CPR, but Rios was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the police department.
"How? How come? I need answers. I need to see my boy," his mother, Zarela Boza, said through tears.
The Rios Family says there is no way Rios would have resisted arrest.
"He was the one to keep the peace," said Victor Rios, his brother. "He was completely non-violent, non-confrontational. I'm sure everybody that you speak to will tell you the exact same thing."
The family says as of Monday afternoon, they still have not been allowed to see Rios's body, and accuse the department of not sharing information about the incident or letting them see any video from the officers' body-worn cameras.
Claremont police wouldn't take questions about the case on Monday, instead referring ABC7 to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, which is now heading up the use-of-force investigation.
"They want to talk about 'narcotics' or 'under the influence', however, the report never said anything about finding any substances in the car, any alcohol in the car, which should be common knowledge in a police report," Victor Rios said.
The Rios Family has set up a GoFundMe page and is hiring an attorney to look into the police officers' actions. They also have a vigil planned on Monday at the spot in Claremont where Rios died.