The Gilroy Police Department has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the February 2018 death of Steven Juarez. The Santa Clara County Medical examiner determined that the 42 year-old man died in custody from “severe drug intoxication, complicated by his exertion to escape arrest”. Neighbors, who were witnesses, concurred with police reports about his “bizarre behavior”, and his seeming attempts to reach under his waistband, as officers tried to arrest him.
Due to previous interactions officers had had with Juarez, he was thought to be attempting to access a weapon.
