Drugs blamed for death of Miami arson suspect who collapsed after struggle with police

Nine months after a protester suspected of torching a Miami police car collapsed and died during an encounter with officers, investigators say they’ve solved the mystery of his death: a drug overdose and complications of mental illness, according to a newly released autopsy report.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s office concluded that Giovanni Franchesko Fernandez, 38, died on June 10, 2020, of “acute eutylone toxicity” that complicated symptoms of schizophrenia. The report also concluded that heart disease was a contributing factor.

Eutylone is a type of synthetic drug sometimes known as “bath salts.” It’s similar to designer drugs sold on the streets as Ecstasy or Molly.

Reached Wednesday, Fernandez’s mother declined to speak. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said its case is “still active” but its findings have been referred to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said they are still investigating.

The FBI and Miami police last year said Fernandez was one of the protesters who torched a Miami police car on May 30, during the first major protest against police brutality following the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s death while in police custody, captured on disturbing bystander video, sparked nationwide rallies against law enforcement brutality and reignited a national conversation about racism.

On June 8, Miami police initially released a still photo of the tattooed suspect accused of torching one of the cars.

Investigators did not know that five days earlier, on June 3, Fernandez had approached Miami Beach police officers in North Beach while “acting erratically and making several random statements.”

According to a medical examiner’s report, Fernandez asked officers if they had a phone charger. He was “sweating profusely and was experiencing difficulty breathing ... and at one point, [he] told police officers that someone was trying to kill him.”

When officers said they were going to take him to Mount Sinai Hospital “for his safety,” he began to struggle and grabbed a palm tree, “making it difficult for officers to secure him in handcuffs,” the report said. Police said he tried to bang his head on the pavement but “the officers were able to keep him from injuring himself.”

While paramedics were treating him on the street, Fernandez “suddenly went into cardiac arrest,” the medical examiner’s report said.

Fernandez was hospitalized at Mount Sinai under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for people to be committed involuntarily for at least 72 hours if they have been deemed a danger to themselves or others.

While he was in the hospital, a hospital employee recognized him from images on the FBI flier and alerted authorities, police said.

Miami police had said in an earlier press release that once Fernandez was released from the hospital, he would face state charges for arson, criminal mischief, and inciting a riot, along with other federal charges. He died after seven days in the hospital.

Fernandez, a father of one who was unemployed and receiving disability benefits, had a long history of suffering from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. He had been committed for evaluations under the Baker Act on 21 earlier occasions, and had been on psychiatric medications, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Police said that his mother reported that his mental state had deteriorated, and that there was concern he had not taken his medications for three days before he was hospitalized after his encounter with police.

Extensive toxicology reports showed that Fernandez tested positive for eutylone and amphetamines, among other drugs.

This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 6:00 AM.