An autopsy was pending Friday on a 52-year-old man who died within minutes of being arrested for alleged acts of vandalism and other disturbances on the west end of Riverside.
Ruben Perez of Riverside died shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday in the 5000 block of Jones Avenue, near Wells Avenue, in an area known as La Sierra, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Detective Steve Espinosa said witnesses called 911 after observing Perez “yelling and throwing rocks at vehicles.”
The partially clothed man was still behaving erratically when patrol units rolled to the location, Espinosa said.
He said officers took the suspect into custody without difficulties, but “shortly thereafter, Perez began displaying signs of medical distress.”
Paramedics were summoned, and they attempted life-saving measures, but without success, according to the police spokesman. Perez was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Force Investigations Detail was requested to conduct an independent probe of the arrest, and the coroner’s office took possession of Perez’s remains for a post-mortem.
Toxicology tests and other analyses were pending Friday.
Background on the suspect was unavailable.
Anyone with information was asked to contact investigators at 951-353-7103.