Video shows moment man got into unlocked Azusa patrol car days before he was found dead inside
AZUSA, Calif. (KABC) -- New surveillance video shows the moment a man who was later found dead entered an unlocked patrol car outside of the Azusa Police Station.
The man's family wants answers about what happened and how he ended up dead after he was released from police custody. The Azusa Police Department says many of those answers are still unclear, and it's all part of an ongoing investigation.
The surveillance video released by Azusa police on Monday shows Eric Valencia just as he was released from jail, wandering up to an Azusa PD patrol car parked outside the station, just before 1 p.m. last Monday, March 23.
Over the course of several minutes, the video shows Valencia opening the back door of the SUV, climbing inside and eventually shutting the door behind him. That was the last time police believe Valencia was seen alive.
The cruiser was out-of-service and should not have been left unlocked, according to the police chief.
Several days later, just before 5 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, video shows an officer discovering Valencia in the backseat of the cruiser. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene minutes later.
Valencia had been picked up by Azusa police six days earlier, on Friday, March 20, on suspicion of DUI and felony child endangerment. According to the police chief, Valencia had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.
Video released by the department shows Valencia being escorted into the station and being processed inside. He was released from custody on Monday, March 23, and video shows him walking out of the police station.
His family says they spent days trying to contact him, and even reported him missing to Azusa police.
"There were no signs of major trauma observed on Mr. Valencia, his body. Investigators learned that Mr. Valencia had been reported missing to the Azusa Police Department just hours before his discovery. Investigators also determined that Mr. Valencia had a functioning cellphone with him in the backseat of the patrol unit when he was discovered," Chief Rocky Wenrick said at a press conference.
"They never even called me back. No one at the police department ever called me back to let me know that he was found on Thursday morning. The only phone call I got was from the coroner's investigator to let me know he was already passed," a family member said.
His family says the 37-year-old father lived less than a mile away and had no known medical conditions. They said they will continue to press the police department for answers.
Azusa police say Valencia's cause of death is still under investigation by the medical examiner.
