Attorney seeking answers after client dies in Alton police custody
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The attorney for the family of a man who died while in police custody said he wants to know what led to his death.
Carlos Garcia released photos of his client — Jesus “Jesse” Garcia — who he said was arrested Sunday evening by the Alton Police Department on Sunday evening on a charge of suspicion of DWI.
Jesus Garcia died Tuesday morning at a McAllen hospital. The photos released by his attorney show Jesus Garcia before his arrest and after his arrest. The after photos shows Jesus Garcia intubated in a hospital bed covered in bruises.
Carlos Garcia said he wants to know how his client ended up in the hospital.
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“They allowed us in to go and see him, I couldn't recognize him, “Carlos Garcia said. “This is not the same person that has been to my office before."
During a Friday news conference, Carlos Garcia provided what he said was a timeline of events of his client’s arrest. The timeline shows Jesus Garcia was washing his vehicle Sunday at around 6 p.m. before he was placed in Alton police custody one hour later.
According to the timeline, Jesus Garcia was placed in the ICU of a McAllen hospital Monday at 1:30 a.m. He passed away the following morning.
“What happened between 7 p.m. when he's detained, and what happened between then and one in the morning when he's taken to seek some sort of medical treatment,” Carlos Garcia asked.
Channel 5 News reached out to Alton Police Chief Mark Perez for comment after the news conference, but Perez has yet to respond.
On Thursday, Perez confirmed to Channel 5 News that Jesus Garcia was taken to a medical clinic shortly after his arrest, adding that contacted the Texas Rangers to investigate his death.
The Texas Rangers confirmed they’re investigating the custodial death of Jesus Garcia.