U.S. Attorney’s Office Concludes Investigation Into Drug Overdose While in Police Custody

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against officers with the Metropolitan Police Department arising out of the death of a 39-year-old District resident from a drug overdose that occurred on Jan. 4, 2026.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, security camera footage, Body-Worn Camera footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, autopsy and toxicology reports, and reports from the Metropolitan Police Department

According to the evidence, on Jan. 4, 2024, Brent Garcia was arrested for simple assault. Mr. Garcia was taken to the Sixth District, and the police began to process the paperwork. In consuming alcohol prior to his arrest, Mr. Garcia consumed fentanyl while in the cell. Mr. Garcia passed out after 15 minutes. Other detainees helped him to a bench in the cell where he appeared to be sleeping. When the police attempted to contact him, Mr. Garcia was not responsive. The police immediately requested assistance, and an ambulance came to the scene. Unfortunately, Mr. Garcia could not be revived, and he was declared dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed that Mr. Garcia had died from a drug overdose from alcohol and fentanyl.

After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers willfully violated the civilian's rights.

Investigations generally

The U.S. Attorney's Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.

 The U.S. Attorney's Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department's Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.