After media spotlight, Brentwood police make first public statement on woman’s ‘law enforcement-involved’ death

BRENTWOOD — The city’s police department has for the first time publicly acknowledged that a 72-year-old woman died after going unresponsive in the back of a patrol car six weeks ago.

A statement, issued by the Brentwood police department on Tuesday, comes a day after several media outlets publicized the Oct. 3 death of 72-year-old Yolanda Ramirez, whose family has alleged was injured when an officer knocked her head into a patrol vehicle while arresting her on suspicion of a misdemeanor a week before she died. The statement says police immediately called for medical backup when an officer noticed Ramirez “appeared to be having a medical issue” in the back of the car, and that “our thoughts remain with the Ramirez family during this difficult time.”

“While we cannot comment further on an active investigation or pending claim, we want to assure the public that the Brentwood Police Department is committed to treating all individuals with dignity and respect in every call they respond to, and to following established procedures designed to ensure transparency and accountability,” the statement says, referencing a legal claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — filed Monday by Ramirez’s family.

The legal claim alleges that the department left out key details surrounding Ramirez’s Sept. 26 arrest and Oct. 3 death, and that the family’s attorney hired a private investigator who interviewed eyewitnesses. Police say Ramirez “was placed under a citizen’s arrest at the request of a family member” during a “family dispute” and that the “approximately 70” year-old woman “attempted to flee the scene.”

The legal claim says police were called because someone saw Ramirez yelling into the window of her brother’s home on  the 100 block of Broderick Drive in Brentwood, because he failed to answer the door when she arrived to take him to a doctor’s appointment.

Ramirez was hospitalized the day of her arrest. Her death has prompted the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office to launch its own probe, which is done for all law enforcement-related deaths across Contra Costa, whether or not police caused the death. One law enforcement source said that the DA’s office was told Ramirez suffered a stroke and was being arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace.

Brentwood police didn’t inform the public about Ramirez’s death, or publicly acknowledge it until after this news organization reported it. Police are not legally required to announce such incidents, but the omission is abnormal for Contra Costa, where all police-related deaths are subject to third-party investigations as a matter of protocol.

Six prior police-related deaths this year were all announced by the involved departments in Contra Costa. As a whole, no police agency in the county has failed to publicly announce a law enforcement-involved death since the 2020 death of Angelo Quinto in Antioch, an incident that ultimately cost the city a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement.