ProPublica uncovers disturbing details in 2017 death of an inmate at a Riverside County jail

A ProPublica investigation released on Tuesday uncovered disturbing details about the death of a man while in custody at a Riverside County jail back in 2017.

ProPublica went through 17 hours of surveillance video and thousands of pages of records in its investigation. It found that county jail staff failed to address Philip Garcia's urgent medical and mental health needs.

The investigation found the staff used violent force against him then lied about it in reports.

Garcia, 51, died approximately 44 hours after his arrest. His death was ruled a homicide. According to his autopsy, the cause of death was a mental health crisis combined with rhabdomyolysis, a fatal condition that can be caused by overexertion.

Garcia was originally arrested in March 2017 after he allegedly smashed a neighbor's window and was found acting bizarrely. He arrived at the Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning in a state of psychosis.

"The Sheriff's Department saw him only as someone who wouldn't follow orders and that had to be punished," Ryan Gabrielson, a reporter for ProPublica, told CBS News.

A family friend told ProPublica "Garcia had a history of seizures, mental illness and inconsistent treatment."

ProPublica's months-long investigation found that "deputies repeatedly struck, shoved and twisted Garcia's head and limbs when he was already tied down."

In its analysis of records and video, Propublica concluded that deputies "falsified jail logs," and "then made false statements in their reports after Garcia died."

Following his arrest, Garcia was placed in isolation in a county jail cell where he is seen on video acting erratically. ProPublica found that over the course of around 18 hours, Garcia does not appear to eat, sleep, or see a mental health or medical professional.

When Garcia then begins to damage his cell, deputies use a barrage of weapons on him, including a stinger grenande. They are then seen on video rushing in.

"One would assume that they should be trained to deescalate a person and not right away take them down but it has been my observation that once an inmate is to that level it's their will against the inmates will," said Robbie Thomas, a mental health specialist who previously worked at the jail.

After 21 hours in the jail, Garcia was taken to Riverside University Health System Medical Center but they did not have a bed for him. He waited 12 hours in the emergency room in full restraints on a gurney.

It is believed that a few hours later, Garcia died in those restraints.

In the last hours of his life, Garcia can be heard pleading with deputies.

"Somebody's gotta help me. Please, man," Garcia can be heard saying on video.

Garcia's family sued the county for wrongful death and reached a settlement of $975,000. Riverside County did not admit wrongdoing and denied all allegations.

You can find ProPublica's full investigation here.