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Nicholas Bakewell

Age : 36

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 06/05/2025

Location : 1200 block of Hearst Willits Road

City : Willits

County : Mendocino

State : California

Agency : Mendocino County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Taser

Event : Died during arrest after being tasered

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 06/05/2025, Nicholas Bakewell, 36, died during an encounter with Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Willits Police Department officers near Willits, California. Officers attempted to detain Bakewell during an arrest. During the restraint, Bakewell became unresponsive and later died. Subsequent reporting stated that restraint and physical stress were causative factors in his death. In 2026, Bakewell’s family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit naming multiple deputies, Willits police officers, supervisors, and both agencies, alleging excessive force and failures in medical response during the arrest.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/mendocino-county-hitchhiker-assault-suspect-dies-confrontation-deputies-willits/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/hitchhiker-dies-northern-california-assault-20365470.php
https://mendovoice.com/2025/06/hitchhiker-who-allegedly-attacked-driver-dies-after-deputies-use-taser-on-him/
https://mendofever.com/2025/06/05/man-dies-after-deputies-deploy-tasers-near-willits/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/law-enforcement-from-mendocino-county-willits-named-in-federal-wrongful-death-lawsuit/
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mendocino-county-wrongful-death-lawsuit-19800000.php
https://mendovoice.com/2026/02/family-of-man-who-died-during-arrest-sues-mendocino-county-willits-police/