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Family and students urge stronger accountability after medical examiner rules Diego Rios death a homicide
Summary
Family members, students and residents told the Claremont City Council the recently adopted Tri‑City MOU on mental‑health response does not prevent police escalation and urged firings and clearer thresholds after the Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled Diego Rios’s death a homicide.
Family members and dozens of residents pressed the Claremont City Council to go further than a recently adopted memorandum of understanding on mental‑health response, saying the agreement does not prevent officers from using force during crises.
“Mister Rios” — who told the council his brother Diego died during a police response in November — said the MOU describes how calls should be handled but leaves clinicians dependent on police decisions about scene safety. “This isn’t clinician led. This is police permitted,” he said, asserting that clinicians cannot approach unless officers deem the scene safe and that the MOU does not define “safe.”
Other speakers cited the LA County medical examiner’s ruling that Diego’s death was a homicide and asked the council why officers Benjamin Alba and Joshua Arona remained employed. “Firing the two officers that killed him will ensure that they will never be able to commit a homicide again under the impression that they are under the protection of the city of Claremont,” a speaker told the council.
Students from the Claremont Colleges described repeated attendance at council and police‑commission meetings and said institutional responses have felt inadequate. “The MOU will not fix this,” a student speaker said, asking the council to adopt enforceable thresholds for when crisis teams must be called and to ensure independent oversight.
City officials and some council members acknowledged the MOU was a step to improve responses but stressed limits of the council’s authority over criminal investigations. The City Manager and staff have previously said the MOU clarifies roles for dispatch and responders; public commenters argued it does not change on‑scene decision‑making.
The council did not take action beyond receiving public comment during this meeting. Several speakers said they will continue to press the council for personnel discipline, policy changes, and clearer operational thresholds to ensure clinicians can lead responses when appropriate.
