UPDATE | Authorities have identified a 47-year-old man suspected of being under the influence of drugs when he died while in police custody in Long Beach on Saturday.
Manuel Ornelas died on Saturday, September 5, following a cardiac arrest after police used different non-lethal means to control him in order to take him into custody, according to a press release from the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
Officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of Ladoga Avenue at about 10:40AM on Saturday, when Ornelas’ roommate called for police help after finding him acting violently and destroying the residence, authorities said.
Police saw Ornelas throwing items out of a second-story window, including a television, and breaking several windows of the home, which authorities suspected also caused him to bleed profusely.
Long Beach Fire Department personnel were then requested to stand by based on the suspect’s bizarre behavior, officials said.
When Ornelas exited the home and fled into the garage, police failed to get Ornelas to surrender using verbal commands, according to the release
Officers then confronted Ornelas in the garage and were able to put him into custody after several minutes of using non-lethal means—including verbal commands, a taser, physical force and a carotid control hold, authorities said.
Ornelas then went into cardiac arrest and police began life-saving measures.
LBFD personnel then took over and transported him to Los Alamitos Medical Center in Orange County where he was pronounced dead at 11:57AM, according to the Orange County coroner’s office, which will investigate the cause of Ornelas’ death.
The LBPD’s Homicide Detail and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office are also conducting separate investigations, which is standard in all in-custody death cases.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Long Beach Police Homicide Detail at 562.570.7244. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call 1.800.222.TIPS (8477), or text TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or visit www.LACrimeStoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this report.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Dies in Custody in Northeast Long Beach after Use-of-Force Incident
9/5/2015 at 3:34PM | A man died in custody in Northeast Long Beach Saturday, Long Beach police officials announced.
According to Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokeswoman Marlene Arrona, officers were dispatched at 10:40AM to the 3200 block of Ladoga Boulevard regarding a person under the influence of narcotics who was acting violently and destroying a residence.
According to police, a use-of-force incident occurred after officers detained the man. He became unresponsive, and LBPD officers attempted to use life-saving measures.
The Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) responded, transporting the man to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation is ongoing, according to Arrona.
No additional information is available at this time. The POST will update this story as we learn more.
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