Police: Neither Officer Named in Family’s Filing Against City Was at the Reginald Thomas Death Scene; Attorney Stands by Claim

Two days after the attorney for the family of a man who died in police custody on Sept. 30 served the city with a claim for damages for his death and specifically named two police officers in that claim, a Pasadena Police statement Sunday said neither of those officers was present at the scene of the death.

Attorney Caree Harper, who represents the family of Reginald Thomas, Jr. and who had named Officer Matthew Griffin and “Sergeant Aguilar” as respondents in the claim, said Sunday evening that unless Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez provides a “specific DENIAL that Griffin and Aguilar were involved, we have no reason to question eyewitness accounts at this time.”

Harper said her investigation has also produced a videotape clip from the scene which she said appears to be Officer Griffin.

The Pasadena Police statement said that Officers Thomas Butler, Robert Griffith, Michael Orosco, Philip Poirier, Raphael Santiago and Aaron Villacana responded to the 911 call from the apartment complex in which Thomas lived in the 200 block of East Orange Grove Boulevard.

The statement went on to say that after Thomas had been restrained, Officer Jeffrey Newlen arrived at the location and assisted with CPR.

Thomas’ death occurred at about 2:45 a.m. on September 30 when the officers responded to a call for assistance in regards to a domestic situation.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives, who are investigating the case, said earlier that Thomas confronted responding officers carrying a knife under his arm and a fire extinguisher.

Police tasered Thomas twice and ultimately engaged in a physical struggle before restraining his ankles and handcuffing him, according to Sheriff’s investigators. Shortly thereafter, officers saw that Thomas was not breathing. Despite reported rescue efforts, Thomas died.

In the claim filed on behalf of Thomas’s grandmother and three women with whom Thomas had children, attorney Harper alleges the officers used excessive force on Thomas and failed or delayed to perform CPR and first aid adequately when it became clear that Thomas was in distress.

Sunday’s police statement, however, said  that “Upon restraining Mr. Thomas, the officers observed him not breathing, at which time, they immediately began CPR and life-saving measures.”

Harper’s claim also alleges that the Pasadena Fire Department paramedics were negligent.

Additionally, the claim alleges that the actions of the police officers and Fire Department personnel constitute federal and State constitutional violations.

Law enforcement investigators have not said what caused Thomas to die.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Katz said Wednesday that detectives are waiting for the completion of toxicology tests by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner to determine the medical causes of Thomas’ death. An autopsy has already been completed but Katz would not release results to the media.

Officer Matthew Griffin was not only named a respondent in the family’s claim filed by attorney Harper, but he was singled out in the filing as having intentionally inflicted emotion distress in connection with the Thomas incident.

Griffin was one of two officers who shot and killed 19-year-old Kendrec McDade during a pursuit on a darkened Pasadena street in March of 2012. That shooting has been a subject of controversy to this day. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office found the two officers acted lawfully. Harper represented Kenneth McDade, Kendrec’s father, in legal actions arising from the shooting.

The other officer involved in the McDade shooting was Jeffrey Newlen.