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Ricardo Dorado Jr.

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 08/21/2022

Location : BP gas station, 464 Windsor Street SW

City : Atlanta

County : Fulton

State : Georgia

Agency : Atlanta Police Department

Officer(s) :Quinn Green; K. Woods; Jerome Jones

Cause of Death : Asphyxiation

Event : Died due to restraint during arrest during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/21/2022, 33-year-old Ricardo “Ricky” Dorado Jr. died after Atlanta Police Department officers restrained him face-down during an encounter at a BP gas station at 464 Windsor Street SW in southwest Atlanta. The Fulton County Medical Examiner subsequently ruled Dorado’s death a homicide.
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At approximately 3:00 a.m., Atlanta police were called to the gas station following reports of a man damaging vehicles and fuel pumps and harassing motorists. Dorado was unarmed. Police reports described him as agitated, and the medical examiner later documented a history of schizophrenia as well as methamphetamine use.
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During the encounter, Dorado attempted to get away from officers and entered a restroom inside the gas station. Police removed him from the restroom and a physical struggle followed. Police reported that Dorado swung at officers and threw wine bottles. Officers used both Tasers and pepper spray before several officers forced him to the ground.
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Officers restrained Dorado in a prone, face-down position and handcuffed him. Reporting based on the body-worn-camera footage indicated that Dorado remained face-down for approximately 16 seconds after being handcuffed. Atlanta Police Department policy called for a restrained person to be rolled over rather than left prone after handcuffing.
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Dorado became unresponsive. Officers removed the handcuffs, turned him onto his back, administered Narcan and performed chest compressions. He was transported to Atlanta Medical Center North, where he died.
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The Fulton County Medical Examiner determined Dorado’s cause of death was prone-restraint cardiac arrest following the physical exertion of his apprehension, complicated by methamphetamine toxicity, blunt-force head trauma and coronary artery disease. The medical examiner concluded that the manner of death was homicide and specifically identified the police restraint as contributing to the cardiac arrest that killed Dorado.
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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened an independent investigation into Dorado’s death, while the Atlanta Police Department Office of Professional Standards conducted an internal investigation. Officers Quinn Green, K. Woods and Sergeant Jerome Jones were identified as the three officers involved and were placed on administrative assignment. By October 2023, one of the three had left the department while the other two remained on administrative assignment.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also opened an investigation into Dorado’s death. The family's attorney, Gabe Banks, was permitted to view the police body-worn-camera footage through the District Attorney’s Office. Banks said the recordings showed Dorado restrained on his stomach and argued that the officers’ conduct caused a completely preventable death.
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Dorado’s family notified Atlanta that it intended to pursue legal action and initially sought as much as $17.5 million in damages. In September 2023, the Atlanta City Council Public Safety Committee unanimously approved a proposed $3.75 million settlement with Dorado’s estate. On 10/02/2023, the full Atlanta City Council approved the $3.75 million settlement. No civil lawsuit had yet been filed when the settlement was reached.
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Dorado’s family continued demanding public release of the body-worn-camera recordings and accountability for the officers after the settlement. Atlanta police declined to release the footage at that time because the GBI and internal investigations remained open.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Quinn Green, K. Woods and Sergeant Jerome Jones were identified by Atlanta police as the three officers involved in Dorado’s fatal restraint. All three were removed from regular duties and placed on administrative assignment while the death was investigated. By October 2023, one of the three officers had left the Atlanta Police Department, although the department did not publicly identify which officer had departed.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/atlanta-committee-approves-375m-settlement-man-who-died-police-custody/ZRN3TDR3YZG3PJVJFTRE3GHOFY/
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta-city-council-approves-375-million-settlement-family-man-who-died-police-custody/HMRBH3KGH5ETNPGA7Q7UX6VHVA/
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ricky-dorado-settlement-for-man-who-died-in-atlanta-police-custody-approved