A man died in police custody over the Fourth of July holiday. DNAinfo's Murray Weiss reports that 39-year-old Angel Cordero died in Fort Greene's 88th Precinct on the morning of July 5 after waiting four hours for an ambulance. Police refused to drive Cordero to the hospital, citing strict department policy. Cordero reportedly had a "massive seizure" in his holding cell, but the Medical Examiner has yet to determine his cause of death.
Cordero was arrested early on July 4th for allegedly attacking his girlfriend with a knife. Before he was processed, Cordero became ill, and was transported to Woodhull Hospital, where he was "treated for an undisclosed ailment." Around 1:40 a.m. on July 5, Cordero again became ill, and police called paramedics, but were told there were none available.
“There was a scarcity of ambulances that morning, and they were tied up all over on Fourth of July related calls," a source says, even with an additional 15 ambulances in service.
Around 5:30 a.m., Cordero had the "massive seizure," but still no paramedics were available, and police declined to transport him to the hospital themselves. By the time paramedics arrived, Cordero had died.
An FDNY/EMS spokesman said they "responded accordingly, based on protocols, availability of units and priority."
Last month 52-year-old Jose Muniz died in police custody in the Bronx after he allegedly attempted to swallow a bag of cocaine.
