Ernest Atencio Dies: Latino Army Vet Taken Off Life Support After Being Critically Injured While In Custody Of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

UPDATE

A Gulf War veteran was taken off life support late Tuesday after being critically injured in a scuffle with guards at the jail of embattled Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio, who calls himself America's toughest sheriff.

Ernest Atencio, 44, was found unresponsive in a cell after fighting with deputies on Friday, the same week the U.S. Justice Department accused Arpaio's department of widespread civil rights violations against Latinos. He had been kept alive for days at a Phoenix hospital.

"His entire family was by his bedside when he passed," the family’s attorney, Mike Manning, told Talking Points Memo. He added that the veteran's parents, two brothers and three sons were there to make the decision to end life support.

*****

The Associated Press reported that Atencio's family has contacted an attorney, the leader of a Hispanic rights group and a Latino lawmaker about what they believe happened to Atencio while detained at the Maricopa County sheriff's jail in Phoenix. Latino activists said the case raises new questions about the controversial sheriff.

Daniel Ortega, a Phoenix attorney who is board chair of the National Council of La Raza, told the Associated Press that he was in touch with Atencio's family and that they might sue if an independent investigation finds wrongdoing.

"People aren't supposed to die when they're in jail," he said.

Atencio was hospitalized following a scuffle with Arpaio's jail guards late last week, the Phoenix New Times reports.

The incident occurred on the same week that the U.S. Justice Department released a scathing report alleging rampant discrimination by the Maricopa Sheriff's department, which Arpaio has used to catapult himself onto the national stage with his hardline against immigration and controversial detention practices. His endorsement is coveted by GOP presidential candidates.

The latest charges against Arpaio surfaced Friday night after Scottsdale Police Lieutenant Mike Stauffer, Arpaio's only rival so far in the 2012 election, wrote on his Facebook page that a "Latino inmate at 4th Avenue Jail is brain dead due to excessive force by detention officers."

Phoenix Police Department spokesman Steve Martos told the New Times that there "was some kind of scuffle" between Atencio and jail guards after police handed over the inmate to the sheriff's department.

Jack MacIntyre, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, said in a statement that the inmate was a U.S. citizen who was booked on assault charges, the New Times reported. He described the prisoner as "abusive" and said the man had been placed in "a safe cell" under medical observation.

"Approximately 15 minutes later medical personnel rechecked the arrestee and initiated CPR and other rescuscitive [sic] efforts," MacIntyre said in a statement, according to the New Times. "The arrestee was transported to a local hospital for additional treatment. The case is currently under investigation."

According to the CBS affililiate in Phoenix, KPHO, Atencio's family described him as a "sweet and loving" Gulf War veteran with an unspecified "mental condition" which caused him to behave oddly at times.

Relatives told KPHO that Atencio possibly suffered a heart attack after being "tasered" and was left "fighting for his life." That station showed photos of what the family said were marks on his chest from the taser.

The incident is just the latest bad news for Arpaio, who last week was accused by the Justice Department of carrying out a blatant pattern of discrimination against Latinos and displaying a "systemic disregard" for the Constitution.

The feds have accused Arpaio of a laundry list of civil rights violations against Latinos, including racial profiling and strong-arm immigration patrols based on "racially-charged citizen complaints." The report was the culmination of a three-year federal investigation of the sheriff's office.

The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday said it was ending an agreement with Arpaio's office that allowed trained deputies to enforce immigration laws.

A defiant Arpaio called the Justice Department report a politically motivated attack by President Barack Obama's administration.

The administration, he said, "might as well erect their own pink neon sign at the Arizona-New Mexico border saying welcome illegals to your United States, my home is your home."

Around the nation, newspaper editorials have blasted Arpaio's ways. The Los Angeles Times said "he can't be America's sheriff if he can't play by the rules."

WATCH RELATED

Comments

[Summer77]

01:17 AM on 12/23/2011

So does this become Murder investigation now?

[crosshatchaz]

11:13 PM on 12/22/2011

While I have zero respect for Arpaio, being healthcare, and knowing more about the details that led to his death, I think I will refrain from blaming the detention officers.
Someone who is combative, on drugs, arrested on assault charges, and most likely suffering from some level of PTSD...could have very easily contributed to his own death. And that is very unfortunate and sad. lets just wait for an autopsy.

Nevertheless, I am sure there is a cell waiting for Joe. He is more of a criminal than this guy.

[Alva Vargas]

01:44 PM on 12/24/2011

You respond with alot of attitude but no "facts"! Sheriff Joe is responsible for maintaining conrol of a border town infested with crime, murders, drugs, cartels, and illegals that is so bad that after the last law enforcement officer and American border family was killed last year, the governor asked the president for help but Obama turned his back on Arizona, and also turned down an invitation to visit Arizona to see for himself the insanity, and so they had no choice but to take control with what they have to work with "then" Obama took action but by suing Arizona, he should of been impeached, and now suing Alabama, to stop Arizona's new bill to clean up the lawlessnees and crime because he promised amnesty to the illegals, hence, securing his votes for the 2012 elections!??! I could appreciate, living among illegals for over 20 years and their crimes and arrogance, the huge hurdles he has had to climb, the old school way, to take back Maricopa County. How do you think they survived in the wild, wild, west?!!? Considering what he's going up against and the Obama Administration blatantly turning their backs to an American state for personal agendas, I say, Go Sheriff Joe!!

[mpsteachr]

05:32 PM on 12/24/2011

I don't know who you are, Mr. Vargas, but the accumulating evidence from Homeland Security and many other law enforcement officials in Arizona lead me to think this Sheriff is too old school to handle what his community needs, inevestigating, or, in this case, not investigating over 400 sex abuse cases. Obama is federal. Arizona residents and you should be more on top of this. Where is your evidence re: Crimes and, above all, "arrogance!"
I live in Ca. I am a combat Corpsman of Marines, Viet Nam, 67-68.
What your Sheriff is doing is out of line.
Participate, check him out, your name is Vargas (if you look Hispanic) talk back to a Sheriff and see what happens. You are obviously a citizen. See and record how they respond to you. If well, report it, if not, report it.
As for me, though I've gone through my trials with prejudice, I won't be heading for Arizona for too long. There are many states who like my presence and money.
Manuel Serrano

[crosshatchaz]

06:37 PM on 12/24/2011

merely go to my previous comments. I have more 'facts' than you will want to read. Novellas of facts documenting his crimes since the late 90's.

Now, with respect to his "maintainin­g conrol of a border town"... maricopa county is not a
border town. Nor was he elected as a border official.

Fortunately, we have progressed, well, most of us, from the days of "wild, wild, west". And fortunately, attitudes like yours, regressive and non-productive, are dying out.

[Klous]

05:59 PM on 12/22/2011

How interesting that as more details have come out about this story it has retreated further and further into the shadows. The inmate attacked his jailers and the tazed him resulting in his death. Cause and effect, this poor fellow was the cause of his own demise.

[Old Grady]

05:18 PM on 12/22/2011

"Atencio's family described him as a "sweet and loving" Gulf War veteran with an unspecified "mental condition" which caused him to behave oddly at times."
His family.
Mental condition.
Behave oddly.
"...possibly suffered a heart attack after being "tasered"
Perhaps the corrections officer felt threatened and in grave personal danger from this man? Perhaps the officer was Hispanic?
Nah, that wouldn't fit in with the narrative here...
This article isn't so much about Ernest Atencio as it is about any opportunity to slam Joe Arpaio (who, incidentally, wasn't even there).

[Alva Vargas]

01:47 PM on 12/24/2011

Yep, you got that right!! Nice to read people are reading pass the "smoke screen'!??!

[sjj734]

01:44 AM on 12/25/2011

Perhaps he should have been getting treatment in a mental facility instead of a jail?

[wyb]

11:19 AM on 12/22/2011

Arizona and this sort of thing is a daily news feed that goes on and on. Arizona, paricularly the capital area, is not the kind of place people should visit, think about retiring in, or building a business any more than moving to North Korea.

[Alva Vargas]

01:46 PM on 12/22/2011

Yeah, thanks to the crime, drugs, and lawless environment the cartels and counterpart illegals have brought into Arizona by the thousands as a border state to Mexico. Put blame where blame is due!! In 2010 governor of Arizona asked the Obama Administration for help after the last police officer was killed but Obama "completely" ignored her request and ignored her request to come personally to Arizona and see the mess for himself they have caused. But he never came, leaving Arizona no choice but to enforce the laws themselves with what they have to work with and without our lovely presidents help. He should of been impeached!??! Then our president took out all the stops after Arizona took matters into their own hands and sued Arizona to stop her in order to preserve the hispanic votes that he will get if he's able to grant illegals amnesty as he promised them in his pre-election campaign and after the hispanic interest groups gave him 1 million dollars towards his campaign. Sheriff Arpaio is an escape goat being used to shade the real problem: our back room dealing president!!

[wyb]

02:35 PM on 12/22/2011

Then why is crime down in every AZ county, but Maricopa, where it has risen under a rogue sheriff who did't bother to investigate 435 sex abuse cases in his juristiction.

[sjj734]

01:46 AM on 12/25/2011

Obama has increased the number of border patrol agents since taking office. If you think they are not doing enough, then write congress to approve more funds. Haven't seen a bill from the GOP controlled house to do that this year.

[llwlknsn]

04:49 AM on 12/22/2011

People are supposed to cooperate in jail as well. Who was fighting with whom? The details in this case are obscure on purpose. The tactic here is to make the Sheriff look as bad as possible. The problem with that is that most of us already know that game and the media's credibility is ZERO with people actually paying attention to the issues at hand.

The US DOJ has gone to war with the American people because we were sold out under NAFTA. We'll push back over the next year and then we'll shove back in Nov.

[psychomel38]

05:15 AM on 12/22/2011

Don't blame the victim - I agree that inmates are suppose to cooperate, but beating senseless and into submission or death is not how DOC or law enforcement train their officers to respond to out of control inmates. The family is correct - prisoners are not suppose to die at the hands of correctional officers.

[rt1027]

08:10 AM on 12/22/2011

he is a criminal.........not a victim

but thanks for playing

[MikeWebster]

02:24 AM on 12/22/2011

It's hard to comment too much without knowing the details of this particular case. On the other hand, this kind of thing would be expected to happen at some point during his ongoing and systematic violation of civil rights.

Instead of being up for election, he should be up for trial, before a jury.

[Kathy Levittown]

02:11 AM on 12/22/2011

Hmm..give Arpaio a break....He-along with "Oily Tates" was too busy with that posse he sent to Hawaii to expose our Kenyan anti colonial president..he didnt have time to make sure human and civil rights were not violated in AZ..Wonder he made out in Hawaii..geez, since Trump AND Arpaio BOTH sent people to Hawaii? Do ya think they exposed Socialist Obama?..lol..I think not...Hes a bum....case closed...

[Rod Paugh]

09:30 PM on 12/21/2011

The sheriff reflects the people who overwhelmingly elect him. They are bigots and expect Arpaio to treat Hispanics as animals, which he is happy to oblige. It is not the sheriff's fault, every voter who supported him in Maricopa county should beheld responsible.

[bldr1bob]

11:36 PM on 12/21/2011

Maybe an investigation should take place before you and HP ask for the de-ath penal-ty for sheriff Joe. And where do you live? Des Moines?

[MikeWebster]

02:25 AM on 12/22/2011

I doubt whether there was a trial for Ernest Atencio, before he met his death.

[Mac Road]

09:03 AM on 12/22/2011

I live in Arkansas but I am in Arizona on business several times a year. And I do agree a investigatiion needs to be done. But lets face it Joe is a not a good sheriff, he let 400 child molestation cases uninvestgated, to me that is inexcusable. All Sheriff Joe seems to be conserned about is getting on tv one more time. To beat a man to death is murder, the guard should be charged with murder and put on trail and Sheriff Joe should resign.

[rt1027]

08:13 AM on 12/22/2011

criminals should be treated as animals........across the board

[kaylagrrl]

12:11 PM on 12/22/2011

It's criminal to say such things. Can we tase you now?

[sjj734]

01:52 AM on 12/25/2011

I'm sure you would be the screaming about your rights if you got arrested and mistreated. Why do you hate the constitution and the 8th amendment?

[HexonT3]

08:32 PM on 12/21/2011

I believe the Latino community and the community in Arizona at large have to let the public and state know that Sheriff Arpaio's point of view is no longer mainstream and will continue to be rebuffed and challenged by the Latino community in the way of law suits and in future voiting in elections.

[Alva Vargas]

02:18 PM on 12/24/2011

Are you serious?!!? Last year a huge majority of the hispanics were illegal in Maricopa County. Some public schools were 70 to 80% illegal immigrants! That's dropped thanks to Arizona's new bill for enforcement that they had to take into their own hands because the Obama Administration turned their backs on Arizona when they asked for help last year because the lawlessness and crime was so bad being a border town. One more thing you should know: I am Hispanic-American first generation from "legal" labor working parents who showed us "by example" the value of hard, honest work, character, integrity, and respect for the law. These "degenerates" do not represent me or the hispanic community and values and heritage and it is a "huge" insult not only to be "clumped" us all together with these degenerates but to assume we are all cut from the same cloth, ahhh, I don't think so, they're greedy criminals!??! Here's another clue: if they thought for a second that they qualified for amnesty or citizenship they would but they don't. They only come to capitolize on our broken immigration system on the US dollar because it's worth more in Mexico. It's all about greed!!

[HexonT3]

02:52 PM on 12/24/2011

Your little outrage is duly noted her. And as an African American man who knows full well what racism is in the United States historically and other wise, how dare you clump all Hispanics who are in this country as illegals, and who have had children here as degenerates! Although they may not represent or reflect your journey at this time, there is no reason for you to be so self righteous to denigrate them as if they were trash and non human in their quest for a better life for themselves and their children. And just so you will know, from an anthropological perspective, Mexicans in general are one of the new races of the world. a racial product of native indigenous folks who are mixed with Europeans, mainly from Spain. The outcome of this was the new race known now as Mexicans. So in many ways Mexicans, who are racially part indigenous, are never immigrants in this part of North America. They belong here! Both North and Central America is their home and place on the planet! It's "white folks" who are historically and anthropologically the immigrants in this part of the world! And now you know!

[inthedesert]

08:31 PM on 12/21/2011

Wait a minute folks!! Why was this man fighting with the policemen in jail? NO mention about this at all....................OF COURSE. There are two sides to every story folks. Of course the family immediately contacted LaRaza and some shyster Mexican lawyer who will sue the pants off the city.
And so it goes...................LOL.

[huffposer]

09:20 PM on 12/21/2011

Ding, ding, ding! Yep. No one at HuffPo would ask that question.

[MikeWebster]

02:27 AM on 12/22/2011

Funnily enough, some of us know enough to realize that it takes a long time to get the full details of the encounter - if they ever come out.

[noahmarder]

09:40 PM on 12/21/2011

Why was he "found unresponsive in his cell" after fighting with guards? Irrespective of who started the fight, he should have been immediately examined by a competent doctor if guards had used significant force on him. Often, scuffles in prisons and jails are started, or at the very least, provoked, by sadistic officers. Unfortunately, in this case, we will never hear both sides of the story.

[Dan Jack]

08:23 PM on 12/21/2011

Why is there not a federal investigation going on for this mans adminisyration of his jail and its policies???

[planetjeffy]

08:22 PM on 12/21/2011

Iraq war vets have a high incidence of mental issues, suicide, divorce and unemployment
Sheriff Joe has a unique solution to this problem

[Alva Vargas]

02:47 PM on 12/24/2011

You know I sympathize and support our vets 100% and their sacrifices for our great country and I also realize Sheriff Joe has his hands full trying to do his job for his county ("after" the Obama Administration last year turned them down for help because Obama wants to secure his hispanic votes for 2012 then sued Arizona, and now Alabama, to stop them). He takes responsibility for his citizens as his duty and as a border town and away from the cartel, smugglers of humans and drugs, Americans and illegals who sell drugs, literally an illegal invasion into his county over the past years, American border families who have to live with firearms because some have been killed by illegals, law enforcement and border patrols killed, etc. His job is equivalent to the job of a sheriff of the wild, wild, west but he does it the old school way because he has no support from our president!! And did I mention Obama turned his back and refused the governor of Arizona's request last year to come personally and see the disaster first hand but he never came or sent anyone out to survey the problems Maricopa County was up against?!!? What's a sheriff to do?!!? Go sheriff Joe!!

[krf1942]

07:52 PM on 12/21/2011

Jail his sorry as. and be sure the inmates are all latinos.

[Max is Back]

07:37 PM on 12/21/2011

The most criminal sheriff in the country commits yet another murder and walks...

[bldr1bob]

11:38 PM on 12/21/2011

Knowledge is power.........you are obviously powerless.

[Angrysheepherder]

01:52 AM on 12/22/2011

I accidentally marked your comment as a favorite. Please disregard as your comment is no where close to being my favorite.

[Max is Back]

09:57 AM on 12/22/2011

Wrong again, Tea Bagger. Why do you support criminals?