to do what I have to do". One day after this statement, on June 13, 2012, after months of denials, Slidebar owner Jeremy Popoff stated on KFI's John and Ken Show that one of his employees did, in fact, call police the night Kelly Thomas was beaten. He declined to say what the employee reported, citing the criminal investigation into Thomas' death, but said a recording of the call had been reviewed by the District Attorney's Office and other investigators. Popoff and his lawyer denied the claims of an anti-homeless policy during a press conference. The issue was eventually resolved in a settlement. Cause of death On September 21, 2011, Orange County district attorney Tony Rackauckas held a press conference to announce the results of the investigation. Rackauckas announced that according to the Orange County coroner, the cause of death was "asphyxia caused by mechanical chest compression with blunt cranial-facial injuries sustained during physical altercation with law enforcement." Rackauckas said Thomas died because of the force of the officers on his chest, which made it impossible for him to breathe, causing Thomas to become unconscious. He then became comatose, and he died when taken off life support five days later. According to Rackauckas, the coroner stated that the injuries to Thomas' face and head contributed to his death. Also contributing to his death were brain injuries, facial and rib fractures, and the extensive bruising and abrasions he suffered during the beating, which left him lying in a "growing pool of blood", Rackauckas said. The toxicology report shows that Thomas had no illicit drugs or alcohol in his system. Thomas was bleeding severely, and struggled while pleading, "I can't breathe", and "Dad, help me." The DA stated that the officers did not reduce their level of force during the nearly 10-minute assault. In contrast, Dr. Gary Vilke, a professor of clinical emergency medicine at UC San Diego, testified for the defense during the trial. He had investigated in-custody deaths for 20 years and has published studies on "mechanical compression." He testified, "I know he was breathing when the officers got off him because he was still talking." "As far as the cause of death, it's not asphyxiation." The defense also implied medical treatment could have played a part in Thomas's death (hospital records reportedly showed that a tube placed down his windpipe to assist his breathing had been pushed too far).