The Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department are conducting a joint investigation into the death of a suspect that died while in police custody.

On February 4, 2015, at approximately 12:39 a.m., a 49-year-old male suspect is believed to have had a medical emergency upon arriving at the Sacramento County Main Jail booking area.  Emergency medical assistance (CPR) was immediately administered and the man was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. 

The incident surrounding the man’s arrest began earlier in the morning at approximately 12:17 a.m., when a citizen flagged down an officer in the area of 19^th and H Streets.  The citizen relayed to the officer that a suspicious male subject appeared to be looking into car windows and possibly tampering with vehicles.

The officer immediately spotted a subject matching the description and approached the suspicious man.  After refusing to comply with verbal commands the suspect physically resisted, pulling away from the officer’s attempt to detain him.  The officer was forced to call for emergency assistance to help physically control the man who was then safely detained and transported to the Sacramento County Main Jail for booking.

Upon arriving inside the jail facility, the suspect continued to be physically and verbally resistive. Shortly after being removed from the patrol vehicle by deputies, the suspect became unresponsive, prompting emergency medical aid by Sheriff deputies on scene.  The suspect was rushed to an area hospital by the Sacramento Fire Department where he was pronounced deceased.  The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will determine the official cause of death and forward its findings as prescribed by law.  The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting the death investigation.

The Sacramento Police Department’s Homicide, Internal Affairs and Crime Scene Investigations Units are working in conjunction with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, the City’s Office of Public Safety Accountability, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office, and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office to investigate the incident.