Daniel Magaña family alleges medical neglect after Twin Towers jail death

Daniel Magaña, a 40-year-old inmate who died on September 5, following a medical emergency at Twin Towers Correctional Facility, suffered from lifelong mental health struggles that his family claims jail staff ignored, latimes.com reported.

Family Alleges Medical Neglect and Ignored Suicidal Ideations at Twin Towers

Magaña was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on August 21, for allegedly evading police and was booked the same day into the downtown jail. In a wrongful death claim filed on September 21, Magaña’s relatives stated that authorities were informed during his booking that he had expressed suicidal ideations and had a history of bipolar and schizoaffective disorders.

The family’s claim asserts that a day after arriving at the facility, Magaña suffered a medical emergency requiring hospitalization at Los Angeles General Medical Center. Upon returning to the jail, staff allegedly failed to place him in appropriate acute mental health housing or provide the psychiatric monitoring and medication his condition required. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department records indicate that Magaña was the ninth person to die this year after being housed at Twin Towers, while a tenth inmate died on September 20, from an undetermined cause pending autopsy.

Contrasting Accounts of Arrest, Hospitalization, and Jail Conditions

Before his arrest, Magaña’s sister Alejandra noted that her brother was experiencing a psychotic episode and talking about taking his life as the family prepared for their mother’s birthday party. Relatives contacted county psychiatric emergency teams before calling 911 when he left the house. Responding officers were warned that Magaña suffered from delusional paranoia, leading to his arrest and booking.

When Magaña missed a court hearing on August 24, his family received no information when calling the jail, eventually discovering his hospitalization. Relatives reported finding him under a tangle of medical tubes with guards stationed outside his room, noting that hospital staff gave conflicting information regarding whether his injuries stemmed from a fall or asphyxiation. Three days after returning to custody, on August 25, he was found unresponsive in his cell following a second emergency and was pronounced dead on September 5, at an area hospital.

Department Statements and Ongoing Scrutiny Over In-Custody Deaths

In response to inquiries, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department stated that it takes every in-custody death seriously and recognizes that timely safety checks are essential. It is equally important to recognize that the circumstances surrounding each in-custody death are complex and cannot be evaluated through isolated events alone, the department said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna previously noted that reducing deaths remains challenging due to an older, increasingly ill inmate population. In March, Luna asked the National Institute of Corrections to review jail conditions following a period where 10 inmates died in less than three months, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the department last fall over unsafe conditions. County Office of Inspector General found that inconsistent safety checks, where deputies are supposed to walk corridors every half-hour, remain a persistent problem.