By The Vanguard Staff
LOS ANGELES, CA – Seven California Highway Patrol officers and a registered nurse have been charged with the death of 38-year-old Edward Bronstein, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Wednesday.
The seven officers and nurse, said Gascón, were each charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and the officers additionally charged with one count of assault by an officer.
Arraignment has yet to be scheduled for officers Dionisio Fiorella, Michael Little, Dustin Osmanson, Darren Parsons, Diego Romero, Justin Silva and Marciel Terry, and Nurse Arbi Baghalian.
Gascón said the victim was on I-5 on March 31, 2020, in Burbank “when Officers Osmanson and Terry pulled him over for suspected driving under the influence. The officers then took Bronstein to a nearby CHP parking lot and obtained a warrant to draw his blood. Bronstein initially refused the blood draw, but then agreed to comply as officers pushed him to the ground.”
The DA added, “Six officers are accused of forcing a handcuffed Bronstein to the ground and pinning him down as Baghalian drew his blood. While pinned down, Bronstein repeatedly told officers he could not breathe. As the blood draw continued, Bronstein became unresponsive.
“He was kept facedown for approximately six more minutes. Approximately 10 minutes after he became unresponsive, the officers attempted CPR, but Bronstein never regained consciousness and was later pronounced dead,” said Gascón.
The DA Office released a video of the incident: https://vimeo.com/812954416
“For the system to work, people must be able to trust law enforcement. Police accountability is critical to building that trust, and it is necessary for public safety,” District Attorney Gascón said.
“I promise Mr. Bronstein’s family and our community that I will continue to advocate for stronger accountability in use-of-force cases and an independent review of deaths that occur while in law enforcement custody.”
