Round Lake man dies after police say he swallowed cocaine during attempted arrest

Round Lake Beach police have released 13 videos with more than six hours of body camera and squad car footage of their encounter with a man who later died after police say he ingested a bag of cocaine.

While police said they released all the videos the department has, none of them show police first approaching Abel Rosiles Jr., 21, about 11 p.m. June 10 at the Thornton's gas station on East Rollins Road.

A gas station employee had called 911 because he said a customer was yelling at him, police said.

Rosiles broke away and ran about 30 feet before officers grabbed him, according to police.

While he was in custody, officers noticed he was having trouble breathing and asked him if he was choking. Rosiles nodded. The body camera footage shows an officer performing the Heimlich maneuver on Rosiles.

"He's breathing. I've got his stomach moving up and down," an officer says in the video. "He's breathing, just keep his airway open 'til they get there."

Rosiles began to lose consciousness so police removed the handcuffs and continued first aid until paramedics arrived, police said.

The paramedics used a tool to extract a large plastic bag from Rosiles' throat, police said. The powder in the bag field-tested positive for cocaine, police said.

Rosiles was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Eight days later, at 3:53 a.m. June 18, the Lake County Coroner's Office was notified that he had died. An autopsy on Rosiles was performed at 1:05 p.m. June 18. The results of the autopsy and toxicology tests are pending, according to the coroner's office.

The day before he died about 100 people gathered outside the Round Lake Beach Police Department in a protest and vigil. Pastor Julie Contreras of Our Lady of Suyapa Sanctuary Methodist Church in Wauconda, who helped organize the event, and Frank Avila, an attorney hired by Rosiles' family, questioned how police handled the arrest.

"Any loss of life is difficult, and this is a traumatic situation for everyone involved," police said in a statement posted Friday to the department's Facebook page and linking to the videos on YouTube.

"The investigation is not complete, and there are still many unanswered questions," the statement said. "Even while the independent, external investigation is underway, everyone must have access to the video of what took place. Transparency and accountability remain core values of the Round Lake Beach Police Department."