(L.A.) Joseph Trevino, 45, Died in a Hospital

Case Number: 2005-01035

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 45-year-old Hispanic male that occurred in a hospital.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Joseph Trevino.

Manner of Death: Homicide

Cause of Death A: Combined Effects of Excited Delirium and Forcible Restraint

Cause of Death B: Cocaine Intoxication and Overlaying

Other Significant Condition: Cardiomyopathy

RIP JOSEPH MANUEL TREVINO (September 30, 1959 – February 4, 2005)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Friday at 9:48 p.m.

Incident location:
1236 South Menlo Avenue, 90006

Based on the medicolegal investigator’s notes and the context provided, the case involves a person who died following a physical altercation with LAPD officers during a parole check. The decedent became combative, was restrained, developed shortness of breath, and died after being transported to the hospital. The determination was asphyxiation due to chest compression, specifically from an officer kneeling on the decedent’s back.

This pattern is consistent with other high-profile cases and in-custody deaths involving law enforcement restraint techniques that restrict chest expansion and impair breathing, especially when a person is prone (face-down) and additional weight is applied to the back. Such restraint can quickly lead to asphyxia, particularly in a struggling or medically vulnerable individual.

In forensic classification, overlaying is explicitly listed as a form of mechanical asphyxia, alongside other causes like strangulation, suffocation, and drowning.