After 24-year-old Brandon Yates was found sleeping in someone’s backyard, he was booked in the San Diego Central Jail, according to a new federal lawsuit over his death.
Less than 24 hours later, Yates, who experienced ongoing mental health struggles, was transferred to a cell with a man who was supposed to be kept separate from other detainees, the lawsuit says. The inmate, Alvin Ruis, was considered violent, had assaulted a deputy and had been making threats, according to a complaint.
Yates was soon heard screaming as Ruis tortured him for the next hour on Jan. 16, 2024, the civil rights complaint says.
Yates kept pressing the panic button in the cell, telling deputies over the intercom that Ruis was going to kill him, according to the complaint.
Deputies in the jail’s control tower ignored his “desperate calls” for help and muted the cell’s intercom for at least 15 minutes, the complaint says.
Ruis kicked, punched and choked Yates, who eventually fell unconscious, according to the complaint. When he realized Yates “was still alive,” the complaint says he “poured liquid soap into Brandon’s nose and mouth.”
Then he smothered Yates with a blanket, removed his clothing, and sexually assaulted him with a bar of soap, the complaint says. Ruis also ripped up Yates’ shirt and bound him with the pieces, according to the complaint.
By the time deputies arrived at the cell for a routine check, “Brandon was found face down on the floor of his cell, naked with his hands and feet bound behind his back,” the complaint says.
The jail’s staff knew Ruis was dangerous and had a “keep separate” status, but they still housed Yates with him, the complaint says. “No one came to Brandon’s aide as he was being tortured, stripped naked, bound, sexually assaulted, and murdered,” civil rights attorney Julia Yoo, who represents Yates’ family, said in a news release.