Overview
- Azusa police said Monday they expect to release security video that shows 37-year-old Eric Valencia entering the back seat of an unlocked, out-of-service patrol car.
- Valencia was found unresponsive in the cruiser outside the police station on Thursday, days after he was released from custody.
- Chief Rocky Wenrick said Valencia was arrested the Friday before on suspicion of DUI and child endangerment, then released last Monday after which his family reported him missing.
- The department opened a criminal investigation and hired an outside firm to examine why the car was left unsecured, noting the vehicle was parked for maintenance and should have been locked.
- The county medical examiner has not released a cause of death, and Valencia’s relatives are calling for transparency and answers.