Gilroy Officers Cleared In Taser Death Of Resistant Suspect

GILROY, CA -- Encapsulating a year's worth of speculation, the city's police officers lawfully used force with Tasers and a carotid restraint to arrest a man deemed under the influence and resisting commands when he was "terrifying residents" with "bizarre behavior," the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office reported Friday.

Steven Juarez, 42, died shortly after his arrest. The county Medical Examiner determined that he died from severe drug intoxication complicated by his exertion to escape arrest and the police officers’ "numerous less-lethal efforts to detain him." Juarez had been accused of violently resisting arrest numerous times before the Feb. 25, 2018 incident, including a time when he dragged a police canine who was biting him, thus breaking the dog’s tooth.

Assistant District Attorney Brian Welch wrote in the 43-page public report: “Juarez’s behavior
demonstrated a determination to resist and flee the police at any cost. There is no evidence that any officer intended to cause Juarez’s death, and there is no evidence that any officer acted with ‘conscious disregard for human life.’ (With that), the officers’ actions as captured on their body cameras and described for investigators were entirely focused on securing control of Juarez, whom the officers feared was holding a weapon under his body.”

The incident started shortly before 10 p.m. upon a terrified resident of Chestnut Street calling police to say that a suspicious man was lurking on her property. When police arrived minutes later the suspect fled, leaping over fences and hiding on the roof of a shed and in a nearby house.

Officer Jason Greathead finally confronted the suspect, who refused commands to stop running, and used a Taser on him to little effect. Other officers tried to handcuff the fighting suspect, using Tasers and other techniques. Finally, Greathead - who knew Juarez had previously resisted arrest and believed he was trying to access a hidden weapon - used a carotid artery restraint. The officer had been trained on using the restraint. Juarez lost consciousness.

Juarez, who had a felony warrant for his arrest, was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. Police later found a knife blade in his back pocket and potential burglar tools in his jacket.