Brentwood police never told the public about woman's death. A legal claim alleges cops killed her and covered it up

"an officer forced Ramirez to her knees as she cried in pain, knocked her head into the door of the patrol car and had a second officer help him drag her into the vehicle, where she remained, handcuffed, for 10 minutes before anyone noticed she was in medical distress. After a gaggle of officers peered into the patrol car window, they called for medical assistance, and carried her into an ambulance, the claim alleges."

"The Brentwood Police Department never publicly acknowledged Ramirez's death or disclosed details to the public, an abnormality in Contra Costa, where all law-enforcement deaths are subject to third-party investigations as a matter of policy. Brentwood police Chief Walter O'Grodnick did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attorney representing Ramirez's relatives said the family made repeated attempts to seek answers from the Brentwood Police Department."

Yolanda Ramirez, 72, was arrested Sept. 26 on suspicion of a misdemeanor after allegedly yelling at a family member's home. While in the back of a Brentwood patrol car outside the Broderick Drive residence, Ramirez apparently suffered a brain bleed and became unconscious; paramedics transported her to a hospital where she remained on life support until her Oct. 3 death. The family filed a legal claim alleging officers forced Ramirez to her knees, knocked her head into the patrol-car door, dragged her into the vehicle and left her handcuffed for about 10 minutes before officers noticed medical distress. The Brentwood Police Department did not publicly disclose the incident.

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