Latino Man Allegedly Beaten to Death by Fall River (Mass) Police During Raid

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) - Police brutality claims are launched by friends and relatives of a Fall River man, who died while being served a drug warrant last week. Fall River and Massachusetts State Police are investigating last Friday's death of 22-year-old Dennis Mendez. Police forced their way into his 4th Street apartment Friday afternoon to arrest Mendez. 

His girlfriend, Tanya Gonzalez, admits Mendez swallowed crack cocaine.

Keila Lebron, Mendez's sister, says that's not what killed him.  She claims officers immediately began beating him, and that Mendez lost consciousness. Mendez was taken to St. Luke's Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The state medical examiner is conducting an autopsy.

"He was a good man with too much heart to just deserve this," said friend Ann Marie Madeira who added, "He changed his life."

Friends and relatives say Mendez was released from jail about a year ago, and was trying to turn his life around.