
An up-close image of a San Diego Police Department cruiser on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.
San Diego police on Wednesday released the identities of a man who died over the weekend after an incident with security at the Star Bar in the Gaslamp, as well as the names of the officers who responded to the call.
The man who died, according to police, was Gabriel Jesus Garza, 40, a native of San Diego. While the county medical examiner performed an autopsy on Garza, a cause of death has yet to be determined. Officials said that the investigation is ongoing.
Garza allegedly caused a disturbance inside the business on E Street, striking a security guard and stopping breathing while struggling with the guard and then officers, authorities said Sunday.
An officer responded to the Star Bar, 423 E St., at 8:15 p.m. Saturday on a report of a violent male outside the bar, the San Diego Police Department said.
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The arriving officer found the security guard and another man restraining Garza on the ground and quickly handcuffed him, police said. The officer called for San Diego Fire Department paramedics to evaluate the man while waiting for more officers to arrive.
Another officer secured the man's legs, police said.
"The officers involved in this in-custody death have been identified as Officer Jacob Phipps and Officer Noah McLemore," police said Wednesday. "Both officers have been employed by the San Diego Police Department for over four and a half years and are assigned to Central Division Patrol."
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Paramedics arrived by 8:26 p.m. and soon determined that Garza was unresponsive and did not have a pulse. They then initiated CPR and rushed him to a hospital where he died, police said.
Homicide detectives from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office were leading the investigation and the case will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office to determine whether the officers have any criminal liability, police said. There will also be an administrative review.