MENDOCINO CO., 7/15/25 – A Willits man who died last month after Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office personnel used pepper spray and a Taser stun gun on him was identified Tuesday as Nicholas Bakewell.
In addition to identifying Bakewell, the Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage, the emergency dispatch call and the names of the deputy and sergeant involved in his June 5 death.
The events leading up to his interaction with law enforcement began after Bakewell, 36, allegedly attacked a driver who had picked him up hitchhiking, according to sheriff’s officials.
The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment but his condition wasn’t released.
Deputy Jesus Lopez was initially sent to the area of the 2000 block of Hearst Willits Road to investigate the alleged assault at about 7 p.m. Lopez found Bakewell walking in the middle of the road, pulled over and got out of his patrol car with his bodycam activated.
Footage shows a clearly agitated Bakewell walked toward Lopez and put up his fists as if to fight the deputy while yelling expletives as Lopez backed away.
Bakewell ignored Lopez’s orders to get on the ground and started to run, at which point Lopez said, “Stop, you’re gonna get Tased.”
Bakewell then stopped and put his hands on his knees after being cut off by sheriff’s Sgt. Sam Logan, who had just arrived at the scene and was walking toward him from the other direction.
Logan could be heard on footage captured by his own bodycam asking Bakewell “What’s going on” and telling him “You’re safe, man.”
Suddenly, Bakewell started to run again, this time in Logan’s direction and appeared to be pepper sprayed by Lopez.
Bakewell then fell into some roadside brush, was sprayed again, and then came crawling back toward the road on his stomach.
Lopez then tried to handcuff Bakewell, who resisted and appeared to throw a punch at the deputy, after which Logan deployed his Taser on Bakewell.
Bakewell continued to refuse orders and soon Willits Police Department Officers arrived to help subdue him and get him into handcuffs. Shortly thereafter, Bakewell appeared to fall unconscious.
“I got no pulse,” one of the law enforcement officers can be heard saying as Bakewell is being uncuffed and given the opioid overdose medication Narcan.
He was also given CPR by law enforcement and EMT personnel but was declared dead at the scene at 7:42 p.m., sheriff’s officials said.
Bakewell’s death is still being investigated by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office.
Logan and Lopez were also the subject of an internal Sheriff’s Office use of force review and cleared to return to work after spending about three weeks on paid administrative leave, sheriff’s spokesperson Capt. Quincy Cromer said.
Bakewell’s official cause of death is still pending, with a toxicology report expected to be complete in the next few weeks, Cromer said.
Omg are you all high? He did not fall into bushes. He ran from cops after saying “oh no”. He tried to flee, not fight the f
Police and ran into heavy blackberry bramble and poison oak. He was then sprayed and then razed and demanded to lie on his stomach. Any of you ever fallen into blackberry bramble? Me neither. I imagine it would be hard to roll on your stomach after being tased for 5 seconds to do anything. He repeatedly said, I am not okay with this…….. then they tased his for another 5 seconds and 5 or 6 men dragged him out of the bramble and put him on his stomach…..which he died quickly afterwards. They killed him. Plain and simple. Are 5-6 grown trained men afraid of an unarmed man????? I’m an in awe…… again ……at Mendocino counties boundaries , lack of
Boundaries, and law enforcement. And these cops are back to work.????? I pray justice is served. This man attacked no officer and in fact tried to get away from confrontation. He repeatedly said, I am not okay with this. This man was also unarmed, and a member of our community, as is his family and children. Justice needs to be served. Our local police murdered a man. Time to rise up as a community!
What does him saying “he’s not ok with this?” have to do with the police trying to detain him? Yes he looks to have been under the influence of something that caused him to lash out. But either way they tried to restrain the man so they can figure out what is going on! whatever he was on and all that adrenaline is why he probably passed. Doesn’t matter if he had no weapon, he was acting aggressive the whole time! they did what they are trained to do Janna! They are not going to get anywhere by saying “sir come have a seat and lets talk about this!” you goof!
Yes they did! You are correct!
You should have dealt with him …🤦‍♀️
You have no idea what you are talking about Janna.
….sorry for poor grammar and punctuation as I was writing fast
Well, I watched the video again for the second time and made me sick number one. I’d like to say that police officers have any kind need to have some training and taking care of people that are on drugs. Let’s put it that way they need medical personnel for psychotic people if they would’ve let him just wander or leave him alone for a minute he probably would’ve mellowed out but no they keep pushing pushing pushing and what’s the end result death it’s bullshit. Somebody needs to clean up Ukiah. I’m over it.
Needs more body cam angles from the other deputies. Was the top deputy kneeling on his neck? Looks suspicious like maybe he was on his upper chest and neck to pin him. Big guy. Face down. Tased. Sprayed. Cuffed behind the back with a deputy on his neck? Recipe for disaster on an overweight person who’s high and definitely not on opioids.
You know all of these comments are ridiculous. The police officers are there to help the people that are not on drugs that are being attacked by these homeless or drug induced. Idiots people wake up the police are our friends stop bashing the police for doing their job.
In fact, police have no duty to help anyone at any time. They are law enforcement and not people helpers. Not even people who are not on drugs should count on them to help. They aren’t required to help anyone. They are employed to enforce laws, gain compliance and keep the peace by putting down affrays by any means necessary. That’s the job description. That’s why they have batons, handcuffs, guns, pepper spray, tasers and many other restraining measures at their disposal. They train way more to beat the tar out of us than they train to help us. Get Real.
They tased, and OC’d him to death your statement sounds like you have the emotional maturity of a gnat
Hear, hear, Cindy. I commend the police for their patience and professionalism here in dealing with a clearly out-of-his-mind (and violent) suspect.
Just like anyone this man was a human being, he did not deserve that treatment or to get killed by people in position of power. This is police brutality. Man was unarmed, and they clearly had the advantage in numbers, and capabilities. Going to school with Nicky, and knowing that he was a son, a father, and a brother. Just really over all this political stuff, and seeing people damn Nicky on social media really sours my perspective on what Authority Figures are actually about, in all honesty they are the ones who bring this shit to the streets. Whether it be Drugs, violence. People should think of what they say before they just write some statement without having a clue what that person was going through in that individuals life God bless the Bakewell family Rest In Peace.
Same way they killed neurorth .same cause if death and it’s evil .pos