Autopsy results released in deadly Santa Cruz officer-involved shooting

After results from an autopsy by the county coroner, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is ruling the death of Santa Cruz resident Sean Arlt a homicide.

“During the autopsy it was found that Mr. Arlt succumbed to his death from gunshot wounds to his head and to his chest,” said Sgt. Chris Clark with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

The 32-year-old was killed early Sunday (Oct. 15 th ) morning on the 200 block of Chace Street in Santa Cruz after he tried to attack officers with a rake, Santa Cruz Police said.

“In this particular case the homicide finding was based upon Mr. Arlt’s death being at the hands of another person,” said Clark.

The department, however, says the death being ruled a homicide doesn’t have anything to do with the criminal investigation.

“The classification of homicide doesn’t imply criminal intent,” added Clark.

Meantime, we are learning more about Arlt’s criminal history. According to Santa Cruz police on October 11, just days before his death, Arlt was arrested near the same place he was killed.

“During that event there was significant use of force involved and we also placed Mr. Arlt on a 72 hour mental health hold,” said Deputy Chief Rick Martinez with the Santa Cruz Police Dept.

Martinez says Arlt was then taken to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz where he was later released.

“We recommended that charges be filed for resisting arrest,” said Martinez. “Once he is brought into that system of care it’s out of the hands of law enforcement.”

Arlt’s death is bringing new attention to how the police department handle people with mental illness.

“The Santa Cruz Police Department trains more than probably any other agency in Santa Cruz County,” said Martinez.

Martinez says officers do 80 hours of in-service mental health training. The minimum amount is 24 hours, but neighbors where Arlt was killed think police could have gone about things differently.

“There are other things they could have done,” said one neighbor, “like use the beanbag or they could have kept tasing him.”

UPDATE 10/19/16 2:24 p.m.: According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Sean Arlt’s death is classified as a homicide.

The Sheriff’s Office classifies a homicide as a case where one person kills another. The investigation will determine whether or not there was any criminal intent by the officer.

An autopsy revealed Arlt was shot in the head and chest. Results of a toxicology report are not yet available.

UPDATE 10/19/16 12:53 p.m.:On Wednesday, KION is learning more about the days leading up to a deadly officer-involved shooting in Santa Cruz, killing resident Sean Arlt.

Santa Cruz Police said officers were dispatched to a home on Chace St. Tuesday, October 11 on a report that Arlt was in crisis.

Deputy Chief Rick Martinez said officers restrained Arlt during that incident and placed him on a mental health hold. He was arrested and taken to Dominican Hospital, Martinez said. Arlt was released from the hospital and Martinez said he’s not clear when that happened exactly.

The police department plans to share more information on training officers receive in handling these kinds of calls.

UPDATE 10/18/16 4:45 PM:Santa Cruz police have video of the altercation that led to the officer-involved shooting death of Sean Arlt.

The department said Tuesday that one of its officers turned on their dash cam before the shooting. Video quality was affected by rain and a bright light near the scene, but it should give investigators more information about what happened during the interaction with Arlt.

The video is not being publicly released.

Santa Cruz Police officers do not wear body cameras, but the department told KION it will propose their use to City Council members December 13.

UPDATE 10/17/16 9:05PM: The man killed in an officer-involved shooting Sunday in Santa Cruz has been identified as Sean Arlt, 32.

Police said Arlt was threatening officers with a rake before he was shot.UPDATE 10/17/16 3:25 PM: The City of Santa Cruz released statements Monday from its mayor and police chief about the officer-involved shooting death of a 32-year-old man Sunday morning in Santa Cruz.

Mayor Cynthia Mathews: “By now, most of our community has learned about the officer‐involved shooting that took place in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 16th.

Several of our Police Officers responded to a very dangerous situation that ultimately resulted in the use of lethal force. This is a very rare occurrence in our City and we are treating it seriously, with particular attention to the handling of the investigation.

Above all, I, along with the entire City Council, mourn the loss of a Santa Cruz community member and recognize the greater impact of this event on all of us. Regardless of the circumstances or if we personally knew or did not know the individual, it is tragedy to lose a fellow community member.

The investigation into the exact events that led to this outcome will be the work of the next several days and weeks. We are grateful that the District Attorney was willing to take the lead on an independent and objective investigation, with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office.

Our officers are lending every possible resource to this work and we thank the Police Department for its suggestion of outside agency support for the investigation. Finally, we want to recognize the toll that this incident has taken on all members of the Police Department.

As the investigation proceeds, more information will be provided to the public. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we balance providing up‐to‐the‐minute information to the community with protecting the integrity of the investigation.”

Police Chief Kevin Vogel: “I want to acknowledge the thoughts expressed by the Santa Cruz community in light of the tragic shooting involving our Police Officers in the early morning hours of October 16th. An event like this impacts a community leaving questions, concerns and emotional scars.

The Santa Cruz Police Department is committed to transparency and independence in the investigation of this tragic shooting. Santa Cruz Police management met with the District Attorney and Sheriff’s Office and immediately invoked the countywide Critical Incident Protocol. This process was put in place years a
go by the law enforcement leaders in this county to address such circumstances.

The Santa Cruz Police Department requested the District Attorney’s Office take the lead role in the investigation to ensure a transparent, thorough and independent review. At the conclusion of the investigation, the District Attorney will issue a finding.

In addition to the District Attorney’s investigation, the police department will conduct an administrative investigation. This investigation will examine if the officers acted within the department’s use of force policy.

This investigation will be subject to oversight by the City’s Independent Police Auditor and ultimately the City Council’s Public Safety Sub-committee who will report back to Council. The Police Department is communicating with the suspect’s family and offered them support through our full time Victim Advocate. We are committed to supporting and communicating with the family throughout this investigation.

We also recognize that our officers are affected by their involvement in this tragic situation. We are taking measures to reach out and care for our staff. All of the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave to allow us the opportunity to conduct the investigation and care for their needs before they return to duty protecting our City.

As more details of the event become available, we will release information to keep the public informed.”UPDATE 10/16/16 6 10 p.m. – The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office is investigating a confrontation between police officers and a 32-year-old man that ended in his death.

The owners of the home where it happened, who did not want to be identified, say that the 32-year-old man was a friend of their son.

“I’m’ just amazed that they shot a man with a rake,” said neighbor Larry Millsap.

According to the Santa Cruz Police Department, officers responded to a call of disturbance at a home in the 200 block of Chace Street about 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The caller said a man was pounding on his front door.

While officers were in route, a second call came in that said the suspect was in the back door of the home and yelling that he wanted to kill everyone inside.

“I’ve never heard such screaming, it was really loud,” said Millsap.

When officers arrived, they found the man in the backyard of the home. Officers tried to take him into custody.

“And then he immediately turned on the officers and began a charging attack with the rake,” said Joyce Blaschke, Santa Cruz Police Public Information Officer.

Police say officers used tasers, which were not effective, and the man continued to attack the officers with the rake.

Authorities say one of the officers fired at the suspect with their department issued handgun.

“Unfortunately a shot did strike the suspect and he was not able to recover from that wound,” said Blaschke. “This is tragic for our community and the family of the suspect.”

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.

Authorities said it’s too early in the case to confirm if the 32-year-old man was under the influence or having a psychotic breakdown, but neighbors and the homeowners told KION the man struggled with mental illness.

“This man was mentally ill,” said neighbor Margaret Nelson. “We have to as a society step up and find a way to deal with mentally ill people when they’re out of their minds that doesn’t entail just killing them because they don’t respond.”

One of the owners of the home told KION that he’d once coached the man in lacrosse, that the man was a family friend and that they strongly believe that the police and the mental health system have failed with helping the suspect.

“Training people to shoot to disable, not to kill,” said Nelson.

“The end result was he left no alternative,” said Blaschke.

The District Attorney’s office is taking the lead on the investigation. The Santa Cruz Police Department will also conduct a separate administrative investigation. They are also working on getting body cameras.

The officers involved in this incident have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.