Ivan Gutzalenko, 47, of San Francisco, has been identified as the man who died in Richmond police custody after he was held in prone position and an officer placed his knee into the man's back as he was handcuffed on Thursday, March 11, 2021.
A man who died in police custody in Richmond last week has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner’s office as 47-year-old San Francisco resident Ivan Gutzalenko.
Officers had responded around 10:35 a.m. to a report of a man damaging property inside a business in the 12600 block of San Pablo Avenue and arrived to find a man who stumbled and fell to the ground and appeared to be in medical distress or under the influence of drugs, Richmond police said.
Officers placed the man, later identified as Gutzalenko, in a prone position and one officer placed his knee on the man’s lower back to handcuff him. After being placed on a gurney, he was taken to a hospital but died there, according to police.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is doing an independent investigation into the death, as is standard protocol for in-custody deaths in the county. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Richmond Homicide Detective Savannah Stewart at (510) 620-6541 or sstewart@richmondpd.net, or can call a tip line at (510) 307-8177.
Last modified March 15, 2021 11:22 am
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