In the early hours of a November morning in 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a 30-year-old Hispanic man named Julio Jones died after a confrontation with police. The events leading to his death began with a traffic stop around 1:00 a.m. near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards. An officer had pulled over Jones's Lexus because its headlights were off. During the stop, the officer noted that Jones was behaving erratically and asked him to get out of the car.
An altercation ensued, leading the officer to draw his weapon. At this point, Jones fled on foot. The chase was short-lived, as he fell in a nearby dirt lot. The officer caught up to him and a struggle began. During the struggle, the officer used his Taser on Jones multiple times. A second officer arrived and also deployed his Taser. Shortly after being handcuffed, Julio Jones stopped breathing.
An investigation into his death followed, and the Clark County Coroner's office determined the cause of death to be cocaine and ethanol intoxication, with police restraint procedures and an enlarged heart listed as contributing factors. It was also reported that Jones was a registered sex offender on parole at the time of the incident.
Following a review of the case, the Clark County District Attorney's office announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the officers involved in the altercation. The decision was met with some criticism, particularly regarding the number of times the Taser was used. Despite the controversy, no suspects were ever sought in connection with the death of Julio Jones, and no arrests were made.
