Mexico: Protests ignite over alleged custody death

Protests against police brutality broke out Thursday in Guadalajara, the capital city of the state of Jalisco after a man was found beaten to death after being detained for not wearing a face mask in public, Report says, citing The Guardian.

A viral video of police violently arresting Giovanni Lopez, a 30-year-old builder, triggered outrage on social media late Wednesday. In the video, bystanders can be heard pleading with the police officers to release him.

According to the newspaper, on May 4, 30-year-old stonemason Giovanni Lopez was detained for an administrative violation. During the arrest, the police officers used force. Following the arrest, Lopez’s family went to pick him up at the police station. The police told the family he was at a public hospital in Guadalajara. When the family arrived, Lopez had already been pronounced dead.

The hospital said he died from blunt force trauma to his head. He also had a bullet wound in his foot, according to local reports.

On Thursday evening, the social media outrage spilled over into action. Protesters, mostly young people, flooded the center of Guadalajara.