Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Yolanda Ramirez
Age : 72
Gender : Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 10/03/2025
Location : 161 Broderick Drive
City : Brentwood
County : Contra Costa
State : California
Agency : Brentwood Police Department
Officer(s) :Aaron Peachman; Danielle Tjhia
Cause of Death : Medical emergency
Event : Died from injuries after police restraint during arrest
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 09/26/2025, 72-year-old Yolanda Ramirez suffered a medical emergency after Brentwood Police Department officers Aaron Peachman and Danielle Tjhia detained, handcuffed and forced her into a patrol vehicle during a family dispute at 161 Broderick Drive in Brentwood. Ramirez was hospitalized and died seven days later, on 10/03/2025.
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Ramirez had gone to the home to pick up her elderly brother for a medical appointment. Her sister called police following a verbal dispute and asked that Ramirez be arrested over allegations that she had damaged a coffee mug. Police footage shows Ramirez speaking with Tjhia outside while Peachman spoke with her sister inside the residence.
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When Ramirez attempted to leave, officers prevented her from doing so. Peachman said she was being detained for impeding an investigation and ordered her to sit on the curb. Peachman and Tjhia took hold of Ramirez, handcuffed her and attempted to place her into the police SUV.
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Police video shows Ramirez falling to her knees during the detention. Peachman later testified that he applied forward pressure while Ramirez was resisting. When officers were unable to get Ramirez into the rear seat, they used additional physical force. Video showed Ramirez's head strike the opposite side of the police vehicle as officers forced her inside and closed the door while one of her legs remained extended outside.
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Ramirez was subsequently left in the rear of the vehicle. Video shown during a 2026 coroner's inquest showed her gagging and vomiting before officers recognized that she was experiencing a medical emergency. Peachman and Tjhia testified that they did not check Ramirez's condition after forcing her into the vehicle. A third officer later drew attention to her condition, and medical assistance was summoned.
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Ramirez was transported to a hospital with a brain bleed and underwent emergency surgery. She remained hospitalized until her death on 10/03/2025.
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The Contra Costa County coroner initially classified Ramirez's death as natural. Her family commissioned an independent autopsy that reached a substantially different conclusion, determining that her death was a homicide and citing blunt-force injuries to her head and torso and asphyxiation associated with police restraint.
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Following a request by the Contra Costa County District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner David Livingston convened a coroner's inquest on 07/15/2026. Officers Peachman and Tjhia testified, along with county forensic pathologist Dr. James Caruso and a Contra Costa County senior inspector.
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Caruso testified that Ramirez suffered a hemorrhagic stroke caused by the rupture of a blood vessel deep within her brain and attributed the rupture to high blood pressure. He disputed the findings of the family's independent pathologist and testified that Ramirez striking her head against the police SUV did not cause the internal bleeding.
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The inquest jury nevertheless rejected the original classification of Ramirez's death as natural and determined that the manner of death was accidental. The inquest did not determine criminal or civil liability.
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Ramirez's husband and children filed a federal civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuit against the City of Brentwood and Peachman. The lawsuit alleges excessive force and claims Ramirez was injured during the detention and left unresponsive in the patrol vehicle without timely medical attention.
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The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office continues to review the conduct of the officers. As of August 2026, Peachman and Tjhia remained employed by the Brentwood Police Department.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Aaron Peachman was identified as a Brentwood Police Department officer and president of the Brentwood Police Officers Association. Peachman provided a voluntary statement to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office and testified at the July 2026 coroner's inquest. His attorney has maintained that Peachman's actions complied with department policy and the law.
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Danielle Tjhia was identified as the second Brentwood officer directly involved in Ramirez's detention. Tjhia testified at the July 2026 inquest regarding the officers' use of force and their response when Ramirez developed a medical emergency.
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Brentwood police released 911 audio, body-worn camera footage and in-car camera footage of the encounter on 02/27/2026. The video documents Ramirez's detention, officers forcing her into the police vehicle and her subsequent medical distress.
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SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/brentwood-police-yolanda-ramirez-death-22395627.php
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/yolanda-ramirez-brentwood-police-body-cam/4044344/
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/death-woman-brentwood-police-custody-coroners-inquest/4114523/
https://www.brentwoodca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/610/210
https://www.brentwoodca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/584/210
