Ramon Timothy Lopez

Less-than-lethal force

Phoenix police responded to a report of a man looking into vehicles and making offensive gestures at a shopping center at about 10:20 a.m. When Ramon Timothy Lopez saw the officer, he ran to a nearby convenience store. While the officer was trying to enter the store, the man threw a drink in their face while trying to leave. After chasing the man, the officer grabbed him, and they fell to the ground, police said. Officers restrained Lopez face down on the hot pavement. Two more officers arrived, and the three handcuffed him, using a leg restraint. Police said they placed the man in the back of a police other and moved out of the roadway into a parking lot. After police opened the door to speak with the man, they noticed he was dead. Police withheld information about how long the man was in the other. At 10:20 a.m., outside temperatures were 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Lopez reportedly sustained burns on his body at the time of his death.