A 48-year-old woman who was arrested last month in Long Beach after leading police on a chase with six pitbulls in the car died last weekend after jumping out of a moving bus, authorities said. She was scheduled to appear for a court hearing suit in Orange County on Tuesday.
Tiffini Kuuipo Tobe of La Habra had posted $50,000 bail and was released from jail two days before her display of erratic behavior in Anaheim on Thursday, February 18.
On that early Thursday morning Tobe allegedly hopped on an Orange County Transportation Authority bus without paying, got into a confrontation with someone on the bus and ultimately dove head-first through an emergency window while the bus was moving about 20 to 25 miles per hour, according to Anaheim Police Department (APD) spokesman Daron Wyatt.
Two males in a car who witnessed Tobe jump out of the bus pulled over to try to render her aid, Wyatt said, but Tobe allegedly got up and ran around their car.
“Then, she jumps across into the other lanes of traffic and jumps onto a car, rides on that car in the exterior of that car for a short period and then begins fighting with the males from that car when they get out of the car,” Wyatt said.
At that point an off-duty APD sergeant on his way to work noticed the physical confrontation at the intersection of Tustin and La Palma avenues at about 6:40AM and provided assistance. After realizing Tobe was the aggressor, the sergeant called for assistance and detained her by “taking her down to the ground.” The officer did not have handcuffs or other equipment with him.
“At some point she begins complaining of having difficulty breathing so he lets her up off the ground and she starts fighting again, so he has to hold her again,” Wyatt said.
Once the first patrol unit arrived, Tobe was handcuffed and sat on the curb while police waited for paramedics to arrive and tend to her injuries.
“She’s talking, she’s coherent, and then at some point after that she just falls over,” according to Wyatt. “She’s unconscious and it turns out she’s in full cardiac arrest.”
When paramedics arrived, they revived her and transported her to a local hospital. However, she was pronounced dead Friday afternoon. According to Wyatt, the autopsy was completed but the coroner’s office plans to look at a toxicology report and other things before they rule out the cause of death.
Though Tobe was not under arrest at that point, because she had handcuffs on it is considered an in-custody death and is being investigated by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Above, left photo courtesy of OCTA.