Police say the man was not in custody when he entered an out-of-service vehicle parked outside the station.
AZUSA, Calif. — A 37-year-old man was found dead early Thursday in the back seat of an unlocked, out-of-service patrol car parked outside the Azusa Police Department, setting off criminal and administrative investigations into how the vehicle was left unsecured.
Authorities identified the man as Eric Valencia. His cause of death had not been released by Friday, and the Los Angeles County medical examiner listed the cause as pending further investigation. The case quickly drew attention because the vehicle was parked outside police headquarters, Valencia had been released from custody days earlier, and the department said officers did not know he had entered the car.
Police said Valencia was discovered at about 4:50 a.m. Thursday in a department vehicle parked in front of the station near the 700 block of North Alameda Avenue, close to Foothill Boulevard. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded and tried life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 5 a.m. Chief Rocky Wenrick said in a written statement that the car had been awaiting mandatory maintenance and was not being used by officers at the time. Security footage later showed Valencia entering the rear seat, according to police and local media reports.
Wenrick said Valencia was not in the custody of the department when he got into the patrol car. The chief also said the vehicle had been left unlocked and should have been secured. Valencia had previously been arrested on Friday, March 20, on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment, according to police and booking records cited in local reports. He was released Monday, March 23. Authorities have not publicly said where Valencia had been in the time between his release and the discovery of his body, and investigators have not announced whether foul play is suspected.
The case has raised questions about department procedures for vehicles that are out of service. Wenrick said it is common for patrol cars awaiting work to remain parked for days or weeks because the department manages a large fleet of emergency vehicles. Even so, he acknowledged that this one should have been locked. Police have not said how long the car had been parked outside the station before Valencia got into it. They also have not said whether anyone checked the vehicle during that period or whether any department policy required regular inspection of unused units parked on site.
The Azusa Police Detective Bureau is conducting the initial criminal investigation. Wenrick said the department also hired JL Group, an outside firm, to conduct an independent administrative review that will examine the broader circumstances of the case, including why the vehicle was unsecured. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, through its Justice System Integrity Division, has been notified and will receive evidence, security video and investigative reports, according to the chief. No charges had been announced by Friday, and no timetable was given for public findings from either review.
The discovery shocked residents because it happened directly outside police headquarters, a place usually associated with safety and routine public business. By Friday night, loved ones and supporters had gathered near the station for a candlelight vigil to remember Valencia. Relatives described him in television interviews as a husband and father, and mourners stood outside the same building where investigators were still trying to reconstruct his final hours. Police asked anyone with information to contact Detective Lt. Steve Sears as the inquiry continued.
The case remained active Friday night, with Valencia’s cause of death still pending and outside investigators expected to review evidence gathered by Azusa police in the days ahead.
Author note: Last updated March 28, 2026.