Police released brutal surveillance video on Tuesday, showing the multiple, devastating falls that led to the in-custody death of a Valley Jail inmate as he was suffering withdrawals.
The Los Angeles Police Department identified the man as 55-year-old Steven Miller.
Toward the beginning of the 15-minute long video, bodycam footage shows Miller’s arrest – which LAPD said started as a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation.
According to the release, Mission Area patrol officers pulled over Miller around 1:15 a.m. on March 9 because his headlight was out. The video also showed there was a woman in the passenger seat, but she was not identified and her face was blurred.
Miller seemed very compliant in the footage, working with the officer’s requests. When the officer asked if he’d been arrested before, Miller responded, saying, “Not for a long time.”
The officer ran Miller’s info and realized he had a felony warrant for his arrest.
Footage shows the officer return and ask Miller to turn off his car.
As Miller turns his car off, he looks up to the officer and says, “I have a warrant, huh?”
The officer puts Miller in handcuffs, and the video shows other officers going through the trunk and finding illegal narcotics. When both Miller and the passenger are in handcuffs, officers tell them that they will both be taken into custody – though the woman denies the drugs were hers.
“Everything that’s in there is mine, all the drugs that are in that car are mine,” Miller is heard saying. “Officer, I’m giving you my word, everything in that car is mine.”
Though the release did not include whether the woman was also arrested, police said Miller was booked at VJS later that morning.
About 16 hours after being booked into the jail, the LAPD said Miller disclosed to medical staff that he was a heroin user and was experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
Miller was purportedly treated by the staff and ultimately cleared to return to his holding cell. He remained housed for the next two days.
Then, just after he got out of bed around 5 a.m. on March 11, footage shows Miller was standing near the sink inside his cell when he first collapsed, striking his head on a nearby toilet and the cement floor.
He gets back up for a moment, but then he topples over again, heavily smacking his head on the cement floor a second time.
LAPD’s footage shows each collapse in real time, as well as a slowed down and zoomed in version of each fall. After each instance, more and more of the other arrestees sleeping in the cell are seen sitting up, becoming aware of the situation.
After the second fall, Miller was face down on the ground for a few beats before he again managed to stand up, but not for long.
He only made it a few steps and was standing next to his bed before he collapsed for the last time. The footage shows Miller seem to hit his chin on a neighboring bed frame before his head, once again, crashes into the cement floor – possibly striking the nearby wall on the way down.
LAPD said another arrestee summoned jail personnel to the cell, and as seen in the footage, a large group responded and worked to escort Miller to the jail’s medical dispensary.
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Steven Miller, 55, is seen collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD) -
Steven Miller, 55, is seen collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD) -
Steven Miller, 55, is seen collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD) -
Steven Miller, 55, is seen collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD) -
Steven Miller, 55, is seen collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD) -
Steven Miller, 55, is seen collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD) -
Steven Miller, 55, is seen after collapsing while suffering heroin withdrawals in his Valley Jail holding cell, leading to his death. March 2025. (LAPD)
While being treated by medical staff, officials said Miller experienced trouble breathing and lost consciousness. Paramedics with the L.A. City Fire Department arrived to take over Miller’s care, but he was not responding.
About one hour after his initial collapse, paramedics pronounced Miller dead.
“Representatives from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner responded to the scene and removed Miller’s remains to their Forensic Science Center, where an autopsy is pending,” stated the LAPD.
The death remains under investigation.
