The Clovis Police Department would like to update our community on the investigation of an in-custody death that occurred in late March, 2022, and correct some inaccurate information which has been provided to the media.
On the evening of March 24, 2022 just before midnight, our communications center received a 911 call from an apartment complex in the 200 block of W. Alamos Ave. The caller requested help, telling the 911 operator that there was an adult in the apartment acting erratically.
The 911 dispatcher could hear sounds of a disturbance occurring in the background. Officers and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were dispatched immediately.
Officers approached the apartment first to make sure the apartment was safe for EMS to enter. Officers identified themselves through the unlocked door and were provided access to the apartment by the caller.
Once in the apartment, officers made contact with an individual later identified as 35-year-old Isabel De La Torre. De La Torre became combative and charged at officers, which included a K-9 officer.
De La Torre was restrained and placed in handcuffs. While restrained and awaiting EMS, De La Torre suffered a medical episode and stopped breathing. CPR was administered and, once stabilized by EMS, De La Torre was transported to Community Regional Medical Center.
24 hours after being hospitalized, De La Torre passed away. It was later determined that De La Torre had a potentially toxic level of methamphetamine in her system.
We understand the community’s concern over this incident and the desire to have as much confirmed information as possible.
We are awaiting the full report from the Fresno County Coroner’s Office. In the meantime, we are limited in terms of sharing specific details of this ongoing investigation and we appreciate your patience.
We want to express our condolences to the family and friends of Isabel De La Torre. Immediately following the unfortunate incident, and several times since, we reached out to the family to provide details of the incident. At this time we have not yet received a response.