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David Anthony Bocci

Age : 34

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/23/2021

Location : Laguna Park Drive and Seasons Drive

City : Elk Grove

County : Sacramento

State : California

Agency : Elk Grove Police Department

Officer(s) :Nathan Meyerdick; Shawn Vargas

Cause of Death : Asphyxiation

Event : Died during police restraint during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/23/2021, 34-year-old David Anthony Bocci died after Elk Grove Police Department officers Nathan Meyerdick and Shawn Vargas handcuffed him, took him to the ground and restrained him in a WRAP restraint during a mental health crisis at Laguna Park Drive and Seasons Drive. The Sacramento County coroner determined his cause of death was “mixed drug intoxication during physical restraint” and classified the manner of death as undetermined.
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The encounter did not begin with a reported crime. Shortly before 1 p.m., Cosumnes Community Services District firefighters encountered Bocci sitting in a Toyota Corolla stopped at the intersection. He was sweating heavily, agitated, yelling, swinging his arms and speaking nonsensically. Firefighters took his car keys so he could not drive and called Elk Grove police for assistance with what dispatch described as an “unruly subject.”
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Officer Nathan Meyerdick arrived at approximately 1 p.m. and observed that Bocci was sweating profusely and rambling incoherently. Meyerdick believed Bocci might either be under the influence of drugs or experiencing a mental health crisis. When Meyerdick asked Bocci his name, Bocci did not respond, and Meyerdick believed he appeared to be responding to hallucinations.
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Bocci walked toward his car and reached through an open window despite Meyerdick telling him not to do so. He retrieved a book and held it against his chest. Meyerdick had not searched Bocci and said he was concerned that Bocci could have a weapon concealed in his loose clothing. Meyerdick grabbed Bocci’s left hand and applied a control hold.
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Officer Shawn Vargas arrived at essentially the same moment with Sacramento County Senior Mental Health Technician Janae Schallert. Vargas and Schallert were working together as part of a Crisis Intervention Team specifically intended to assist people experiencing mental health problems. By the time the mental health clinician reached Bocci, however, Meyerdick had already physically restrained his arm.
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Vargas decided to handcuff Bocci. Police alleged that Bocci resisted, repeatedly jumped and kicked backward, striking Vargas near the groin. Vargas then struck Bocci once in the upper back with his forearm and used his body weight to take him to the ground. Meyerdick and Vargas handcuffed him approximately ten seconds later.
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After searching Bocci, officers determined that he had no weapon. Meyerdick rolled him onto his left side, but Bocci continued struggling. Vargas requested additional officers, a supervisor and a WRAP full-body restraint device.
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While handcuffed on the ground, Bocci said something captured differently by the officers’ body cameras. Meyerdick initially interpreted it as “Forgive me, God. Please fix me, God,” while later review indicated Bocci may instead have said, “Dad, I forgive you.” Bocci then struck or fell against the concrete curb with his head. The later DA review concluded that no officer caused his head to strike the curb.
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Additional officers arrived and temporarily placed Bocci on his stomach while applying the WRAP restraint to immobilize his body and legs. Police alleged that he continued kicking while officers secured the device.
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Fire personnel examined Bocci after the restraint was applied. An ambulance transported him to Methodist Hospital of Sacramento with Officer Jazvi Singh accompanying him. Medical personnel reported that his vital signs remained stable during transport and that he did not require chemical sedation in the ambulance.
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Bocci remained in the WRAP restraint after reaching the hospital at approximately 1:37 p.m. Hospital staff described him as screaming incoherently, combative and thrashing. At approximately 1:45 p.m., he began suffering seizures. Hospital personnel administered medication and attempted lifesaving measures after he stopped breathing, but he could not be revived. Bocci was pronounced dead at approximately 3:02 p.m.
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The later investigation revealed especially important information about the nature of Bocci’s crisis. His mother had called 911 on May 31, 2021, reporting that he needed a psychiatric evaluation. Officers found him sweating heavily and apparently hallucinating and placed him on an involuntary mental health hold.
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More significantly, police had been called about Bocci the day before his death. On September 22, his mother told police that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and was not taking his medication. Officers decided he did not meet the criteria for an involuntary hold. Bocci agreed to voluntarily enter Sierra Vista Psychiatric Facility but ultimately did not do so.
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Bocci himself called 911 at approximately 5:22 a.m. on the morning he died because of a dispute with his mother. Then, only about 20 minutes before firefighters encountered him, another person called police about a man running through an intersection and swinging at passing vehicles. Officer Vargas responded but did not locate him. Later traffic-camera review established that the man was Bocci.
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Thus, by the time Vargas arrived with a mental health clinician at Laguna Park Drive, Elk Grove police had accumulated multiple recent indicators that Bocci was experiencing a severe mental health crisis, including direct contact with him the previous day and another call concerning his behavior minutes earlier.
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The autopsy found methamphetamine, amphetamine, marijuana, bupropion and several prescription or medically administered drugs in Bocci’s system. The coroner also found 24 undigested pills in his gastrointestinal tract. Toxicology showed a high concentration of methamphetamine and a bupropion concentration within the range reported in previous fatal overdoses.
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The medical examiner nevertheless did not classify Bocci’s death simply as an overdose. The official cause was specifically “mixed drug intoxication during physical restraint.” The pathologist identified three potentially contributing components: the drug intoxication, Bocci’s prolonged agitation and physical exertion, and his physical altercation and restraint by police. The pathologist said the relative contribution of each could not be determined.
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The Sacramento County District Attorney conducted an independent criminal review that included body-camera footage, dispatch recordings, witness interviews, forensic evidence, toxicology and the coroner’s findings. In October 2022, the DA concluded there was insufficient evidence of criminal negligence or excessive force and filed no charges against Meyerdick, Vargas or the other officers.
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Importantly, the DA expressly limited that determination. Its review addressed potential criminal responsibility and stated that questions of civil liability, police tactics and departmental policies and procedures were not considered.
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Civilian witnesses included the firefighters, the mental health clinician and two school employees who observed the encounter from a vehicle. The DA reported that their accounts were generally consistent with the events visible on police video.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
Nathan Meyerdick and Shawn Vargas were the principal officers who physically restrained Bocci. Meyerdick initiated the physical control hold, and Vargas joined him, struck Bocci once in the upper back, assisted in taking him to the ground and requested the WRAP restraint. Other officers assisted in applying the WRAP, and Officer Jazvi Singh accompanied Bocci in the ambulance.
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A substantive search of Meyerdick and Vargas did not establish another fatal shooting or other comparable prior lethal-force incident involving either officer that is sufficiently documented to include here.
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The timing of Vargas’s involvement is nevertheless significant. Vargas arrived with a Sacramento County mental health professional as part of a Crisis Intervention Team, yet Bocci’s encounter moved almost immediately into handcuffing, a takedown and full-body restraint. Vargas had also personally responded only minutes earlier to a call concerning Bocci’s erratic behavior at another intersection but had been unable to locate him.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article254504097.html
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/elk-grove/man-dies-after-being-restrained-by-elk-grove-police/103-2a3c6d63-5c88-4c2f-9d9a-61b59bce6e5a
https://www.kcra.com/article/elk-grove-police-investigating-in-custody-death/37705166
https://www.elkgrovecity.org/city_hall/departments_divisions/police/news_releases/officer_involved_incident_092321
http://www.elkgrovepd.org/about_us/connect/news/investigation_of_death_while_in_custody
https://www.sacda.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/EGPD-ICD-2021-Bocci-.pdf
https://www.sacda.org/police-use-of-force/
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/caedce/2%3A2021cv02278/404155