Clovis police release bodycam video in woman's death
By: Clovis police have released body camera footage of an incident that led to the death of a woman in March this year.
The woman, 35-year-old Isabel De la Torre, died after being restrained by officers. Her family has filed a lawsuit, claiming excessive force by Clovis police.
According to the lawsuit, De la Torre was suffering from a medical emergency that night when her partner called 911.
Officers and medical aid rushed to the apartment.
Police say they were allowed in by the caller, a fact disputed in the lawsuit, which says officers were told their services were no longer needed. The suit alleges that they 'forced their way' into her home, then released a K-9 to bring her to the ground.
While being restrained, De la Torre stopped breathing. She was taken to the Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC), where she died 24 hours later.
She was later found to have had a potentially toxic level of methamphetamine in her system.
In a statement on Thursday, Clovis police say they have tried to reach out to the family.
"We want to express our condolences to the family and friends of Isabel De La Torre. Immediately following the unfortunate incident, and several times since, we reached out to the family to provide details of the incident. At this time we have not yet received a response," the statement said.