Bryan Bostic: Inglewood police investigation questioned after man dies following arrest

Bryan Bostic's police custody death draws legal action

Inglewood police stopped Bryan Bostic, and after a struggle, he died, with his family questioning why he was taken to the police station instead of a hospital.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Inglewood police stopped Bryan Bostic on March 10, on the corner of Hillcrest and Locust.

Bostic questioned the arrest, telling officers he was on his way to his mother's house.

There was some kind of struggle, seemingly visible on cellphone video given to Bostic's family by someone in the community.

The family's attorney, Denisse Gastelum, claims an ambulance and the coroner were called to the location, but that instead of Bostic being transported to a hospital for treatment, he was taken to the Inglewood Police Department, where his body was retrieved by the coroner.

Gastelum says the police department and city refuse to provide the family information regarding the circumstances of the arrest, including videos, statements or the names of the officers. "We don't even know if the officers are still out there working!"

Further compounding the family's distress, when they decided to ship Bostic's body for a second autopsy, they received a copy of cellphone video being disseminated on social media showing an LAX cargo handler making fun of the container.

They plan legal action against Inglewood, the police department and LAX, but today they hand-delivered demands for evidence to the city. "We don't even know why he was stopped," his cousin said.

FOX 11 reached out to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts' office and received the following statement:

"The City and Police Department await the findings of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office as to the cause of death, which is a critical component to understand the cause of death. The IPD is conducting a comprehensive internal investigation. A separate and independent investigation is being conducted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. We look forward to the findings of these independent investigations. At that point, all of the facts of the stop and circumstances surrounding this incident will be available.

The Inglewood Police Department has been researching a complete upgrade for its police automation tools and its Real Time Crime Center for about six months. Part of that package, which is being negotiated with potential vendors, has always and continues to include body-worn cameras. A selection and agreement will be put before the City Council when the process is completed. We continue to give our condolences to the family of Bryan Bostic."