A 47-year-old man suspected of being under the influence of drugs died in police custody in Long Beach after officers used force to detain him, authorities said Sunday.
The man was later identified by coroner’s officials as Manuel Ornelas.
Officers were dispatched at 10:40 a.m. Saturday to the 3200 block of Ladoga Avenue on a report the suspect was acting violently, Marlene Arrona of the Long Beach Police Department said.
The call to police was made by a resident at the location who said the man was acting bizarrely and breaking things inside the home, according to an LBPD statement.
Officers arriving at the scene say they saw the man throwing items out of a second story window, which included a television. The suspect also broke out several windows of the home, the statement said.
Officers also saw that the man was bleeding profusely, possibly from cuts suffered while breaking out the windows. The man left the home and officers ordered him to surrender, however he did not comply, police said. He then fled into the home’s garage, where officers confronted him.
“Officers attempted non-lethal means, which included continued verbal commands, an electronic control device, physical force, and a carotid restraint to take him into custody,” police said. “While officers were monitoring his medical condition he went into cardiac arrest.”
“The subject became unresponsive and officers began life-saving measures until (the) Long Beach Fire Department arrived,” Arrona said.
Paramedics rushed Ornelas to Los Alamitos Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:57 a.m., according to the Orange County Coroner’s Office. Long Beach detectives asked anyone with information regarding the incident to call them at (562) 570-7244.
— City News Service