Unexplained death after Inglewood traffic stop sparks outcry, calls for police body cameras

The family of a man who died after a police traffic stop in Inglewood last month has denounced law enforcement and city officials for their handling of the case, prompting calls for the California’s attorney general to launch an independent investigation.

In the weeks since his death, supporters of Bryan Bostic have appeared at Inglewood City Council meetings, flooded social media with posts and given TV news interviews demanding answers from officials who they say have not done enough to hold police accountable for his death.

Bostic, 37, died March 10 after being pulled over at the corner of Hillcrest Boulevard and Nutwood Street for an unspecified reason. He had been traveling north on Hillcrest when he was stopped behind a strip mall that includes a grocery store and a 24-hour gym.

Cellphone video shot by a bystander captured Bostic telling police he was on his way to visit his mother. Shortly afterward, the footage shows Bostic sprawled face down on the ground as an officer kneels on his back, pulling Bostic’s arm back to handcuff him while others rush over to assist in the arrest.

Authorities have said little so far about Bostic’s death. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said his cause of death could not be determined without further testing. An Inglewood police spokesperson didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.

On Easter Sunday, a small group of Bostic’s relatives, friends and activists gathered nearby, some holding signs that read “Wake up Inglewood” and “Kick Butts out,” referring to Inglewood Mayor James Butts. The mourners waved in response to the occasional honk from passing motorists.

They vented angrily about what they saw as the inaction of local authorities and called for California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to probe the circumstances surrounding Bostic’s death. Bonta’s office did not respond to inquiries about the case.

“Inglewood PD, we need answers, and Mayor Butts, you need to do better,” said Bostic’s cousin Talia Castillo. She accused the police of brutality, saying his death was the latest in a long history of cases. The police actions went against the vision of a revitalized Inglewood that Butts and other city leaders are promoting, she said.

Huddled around a small makeshift memorial of votive candles and flowers, those gathered demanded that the Inglewood Police Department adopt body-worn cameras, as many police agencies countrywide have done. The family has mounted an online campaign urging Steve Ballmer, the billionaire former Microsoft chief who owns the Inglewood-based Los Angeles Clippers, to help finance the cameras.

Castillo and other relatives described Bostic as a jokester who would light up any room that he was in. Bostic, they said, grew up playing Pop Warner football in Carson, and, despite some stumbles as he grew older, had dreams of making it big in the music industry. He became a father, and leaves behind a 13-year-old child.

In one of their last conversations, Castillo recalled how Bostic had talked about getting pulled over while driving with his girlfriend — about a week before his death — and being forced out of his car. It was part of a pattern of police harassment that he’d endured for much of his adult life, she said.

Bostic’s family said authorities told them he was still alive when officers forced him into the back of their police cruiser. At a news conference earlier this week, an attorney for the family said they believe excessive force triggered a medical emergency that resulted in Bostic’s death.

Vigil attendees reacted angrily when told by a local TV news reporter that Butts had said in an interview that he was saddened by Bostic’s death, but wanted to wait for the police investigation of the incident to run its course.

“Mayor Butts being sad does not bring Bryan Bostic back to life. It does nothing,” said Najee Ali, a longtime civil rights activist working with Bostic’s family. As he spoke, a woman in a blue denim dress wiped tears from her eyes as another woman squeezed her shoulder in comfort.

Bostic’s death was just the latest of a Black man in local police custody, Ali said, rattling off the names of Kevin Wicks, Donovan Jackson and others. He added that the case underscored the need revive Inglewood’s civilian police oversight commission, which was disbanded in recent years.