A 54-year-old inmate died Sunday after he had an apparent medical emergency in San Diego Central Jail, sheriff’s officials said.
The incident was reported around 10 a.m. by a deputy and nurse who were handing out medication in a housing unit, Lt. Joseph Jarjura said in a news release Monday. When they came across the man, they decided he needed further medical help.
While he was being taken in for evaluation, he became unresponsive, Jarjura said. Paramedics were called and took over medical care.
He was taken to a hospital doctor who pronounced him dead soon after.
The inmate’s name was not released pending notification of his family.
The inmate had been arrested in June on felony warrants connected to vandalism. At the time of his arrest, he was believed to be homeless.
The Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board was notified of the man’s death, and the sheriff’s homicide unit will conduct an investigation, officials said.
The county Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
This is the third in-custody death at Sheriff’s Department facilities this year.
Eric Wolf, 33, the first person to die in Sheriff’s Department custody this year, was found on the morning of Jan. 6 in medical distress inside his cell. He was pronounced dead roughly a half-hour later.
Brandon Andrew Yates, 24, died Jan. 16 at San Diego Central Jail after he was found unresponsive in his jail cell. His cellmate was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
In 2021, state officials released an audit reporting that 185 people died in Sheriff’s Department jail custody between 2006 and 2020 — the highest death rate among large California counties.
