Jail staff ignored screams of tortured 24-year-old killed in California cell, suit says
After 24-year-old Brandon Yates was found sleeping in someone’s backyard, he was booked in the San Diego Central Jail, according to a new federal lawsuit over his death.
Less than 24 hours later, Yates, who experienced ongoing mental health struggles, was transferred to a cell with a man who was supposed to be kept separate from other detainees, the lawsuit says. The inmate, Alvin Ruis, was considered violent, had assaulted a deputy and had been making threats, according to a complaint.
Yates was soon heard screaming as Ruis tortured him for the next hour on Jan. 16, 2024, the civil rights complaint says.
Yates kept pressing the panic button in the cell, telling deputies over the intercom that Ruis was going to kill him, according to the complaint.
Deputies in the jail’s control tower ignored his “desperate calls” for help and muted the cell’s intercom for at least 15 minutes, the complaint says.
Ruis kicked, punched and choked Yates, who eventually fell unconscious, according to the complaint. When he realized Yates “was still alive,” the complaint says he “poured liquid soap into Brandon’s nose and mouth.”
Then he smothered Yates with a blanket, removed his clothing, and sexually assaulted him with a bar of soap, the complaint says. Ruis also ripped up Yates’ shirt and bound him with the pieces, according to the complaint.
By the time deputies arrived at the cell for a routine check, “Brandon was found face down on the floor of his cell, naked with his hands and feet bound behind his back,” the complaint says.
The jail’s staff knew Ruis was dangerous and had a “keep separate” status, but they still housed Yates with him, the complaint says.
“No one came to Brandon’s aide as he was being tortured, stripped naked, bound, sexually assaulted, and murdered,” civil rights attorney Julia Yoo, who represents Yates’ family, said in a news release.
Yates’ parents are suing San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez, Undersheriff Rich Williams and several sheriff’s deputies and employees working at the jail.
The lawsuit details a deadly history at the jail and accuses staff of previously neglecting calls made over the intercom system.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson declined McClatchy News’ request for comment, “as this matter involves both pending civil litigation and active criminal prosecution,” they said Feb. 25.
Ruis was arrested on a murder charge in connection with Yates’ death, the office announced in a news release dated Jan. 30, 2024. The case was referred to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Ruis had been booked in the San Diego Central Jail after he was arrested Dec. 27, 2023 on charges of domestic violence; willful cruelty to a child; stalking; burglary; violation of a court order; committing a felony while out on bail; and violation of domestic violence temporary restraining order, according to the sheriff’s office.
Attorney information for Ruis wasn’t immediately available.
A ‘loving and kind son and brother’ known for ‘his generosity’
Though Yates was born prematurely as a fraternal twin and experienced associated struggles, the lawsuit says he “grew to excel in sports.”
Before graduating high school, Yates was involved with his church, was a junior lifeguard and “excelled academically,” according to the complaint.
Surfing was Yates’ passion.
Following high school, Yates faced struggles with anxiety, mental health and drug addiction, leading him to later experience homelessness, the complaint says.
He tried to push through addiction and trained to become a commercial fisherman, his parents told The San Diego-Union Tribune in an interview.
“He was motivated to try to get on a good path,” Dan Yates told the newspaper.
“When Brandon was in rehab, he thrived,” the complaint says. “He was a loving and kind son and brother.”
“He was known for his generosity. He loved his family and his life.”
On Jan. 15, 2024, the day Yates was found asleep in a shed at someone’s home, he was arrested on suspicion of burglary charge, the complaint says.
‘Brandon was a vulnerable inmate’
Yates was housed with multiple cellmates after he arrived at jail, according to the complaint.
His “mental health issues were causing his cellmates to get aggressive toward him” the complaint says.
His cellmates warned a deputy that there’d be “trouble” unless they moved Yates, according to the complaint.
The deputy “knew that Brandon was a vulnerable inmate” but relocated him to a cell with Ruis, who“had never been assigned any cellmates because of his violent propensities,” the complaint says.
In jail, Ruis had been “manifesting symptoms of serious mental illness,” the complaint notes.
During Ruis’ attack against Yates, other inmates heard the commotion and pushed another panic button to alert deputies, according to the complaint.
The inmates’ alerts, similar to Yates’ calls for help, were ignored, the complaint says.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office announced Yates’ death a day later and offered sympathies to his family in a Jan. 17, 2024 news release.
At the time, the office said deputies “found Mr. Yates unresponsive and displaying signs of distress.” Jail medical staff and paramedics performed life-saving efforts, but he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes after being found in the cell, deputies said.
Brandon’s cause of death, according to the lawsuit, “was asphyxiation consistent with manual and ligature strangulation and smothering.”
The lawsuit says San Diego Central Jail staff have routinely violated the facility’s policies by ignoring or muting intercom calls.
According to the complaint, this has resulted in the “severe injuries or deaths” of five others listed in the filing: Frankie Greer, Richard Boulanger, Vianna Granillo, Robert Moniger, and Derryl Dunsmore.
Yates’ family, with their lawsuit, is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, including for pre-death pain and suffering, to be awarded at trial.
“I used to hear and believe that if you are mentally ill, going to jail could be a blessing, because you hope a judge will order mental health treatment,” Yates’ mother told The San Diego-Union Tribune.
“I felt a brief moment of, ‘Maybe finally he’ll get the help he needs.’ It never occurred to me that his life was at risk.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Jail staff ignored screams of tortured 24-year-old killed in California cell, suit says."
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