Joel Huerta

How they died

Less-than-lethal force

Huerta was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs. He was restrained and taken to the County Jail "due to his level of impairment," police said. Jail medical staff attempted to assess Huerta, but he refused to answer questions. Huerta was taken to a cell for observation and had his restraints removed. He became unresponsive almost immediately and died. Media reports don't state categorically whether he was booked, so this incident may be outside of FatalEncounters dataset, which does not include individuals after they've been booked into the jail or prison system.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Joel Huerta, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources