Modesto Police release body-cam footage from last month’s in-custody death
Modesto Police released body camera footage on Wednesday from an incident on Sept. 27 in a residential neighborhood near Briggsmore Avenue and Claus Road where 33-year-old Mexico native Emilio Villa Mora allegedly tightly twisted a seat belt around his neck while in police custody.
The footage, released on the department’s Facebook page, provide audio from multiple 9-1-1 calls, including two from Mora and show officers attempting to perform CPR after finding Mora slumped over in the backseat of a patrol car.
Modesto Police Assistant Chief Brandon Gillespie said in the video release it was a tragedy for all involved, “especially Mr. Villa Mora’s family” and the investigation remains ongoing.
9-1-1 calls asking for help
While at the Amtrak stop station at Santa Fe Ave., Mora called 9-1-1, saying “they are going to kill me” and when a dispatcher ask “who”, Mora responded by saying the cartel.
Mora called again from the lobby of the Stanislaus County Doctors Behavioral Health Center saying the same thing.
Police said the initial investigation suggested Mora’s actions were either mental health or drug induced.
Two more phone calls to 9-1-1 were released, one from a resident at Stanton Harcourt Lane who said a man had tried to enter the home through the patio sliding door.
Another caller at Epping Avenue said a man had tried to steal a vehicle with a 15-year-old male in the passenger seat.
When officers arrived, they found Mora and asked him to stop but Mora runs off in the footage and an officer attempts to tase him but it’s ineffective.
Eventually, officers are able to bring Mora to the ground.
“Once Mr. Villa Mora was taken into custody, he was placed into the back of a patrol car and offered medical treatment and provided water,” Gillespie said. “Officers then transported Mr. Villa Nora back to the original scene to continue the investigation.”
Mora was provided medical aid from AMR (American Medical Response) but declined.
Cameras turned off
As officers transport Mora back to where the incidents took place and Mora is identified by witnesses, their body cameras were turned off during “investigation discussion”, Gillespie said.
Officers go to check on Mora where they find him slumped over to the right with an adjacent seat’s seat belt around his neck.
An officer cuts the seat belt around his neck with a knife and then Mora is pulled out of the car and CPR is performed until medics arrived.
Mora was transported to a local hospital and passed away late last week.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 8:06 PM.
