by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

A Rancho Cucamonga man died Friday following a traffic stop by Claremont Police Department officers. Claremont police did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Courier.

Claremont police responded to calls about a man acting erratically near Claremont Boulevard and Andrew Drive at 3:18 p.m. November 28. Arriving officers said they saw the suspect driving and pulled him over nearby. Police allege the driver, 30-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident Diego Alfonso Rios, showed signs of impairment.

Police told the Daily Bulletin and KTLA that when officers asked Rios to exit his vehicle, a use of force incident occurred.

“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. German Ochoa said the preliminary investigation found the use of force was a controlled takedown after Rios resisted officers trying to handcuff him,” according to the Bulletin. “He said more information may be developed after the involved officers are interviewed.”

After the “takedown,” Rios became unresponsive, police said, prompting lifesaving measures by CPD, then paramedics from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. He was then transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau is investigating the incident, with the District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division assisting in the case. The cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.