Police sued over April custody death of Oakland man

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The family of an Oakland, California, man who died after police held him down has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, contending officers asphyxiated him during a confrontation that drew protests and comparisons to the death of George Floyd. The federal lawsuit filed Friday names the city of Alameda, where Mario Gonzalez died in April, and the officers who restrained him. The 26-year-old Gonzalez died after he was pinned face down on the ground for more than five minutes. A coroner’s report released last week said Gonzalez died from the toxic effects of methamphetamine use but that the stress of being restrained was a contributing factor.