A man died after struggling with San Diego County sheriff’s deputies following his arrest in Cardiff late Saturday, authorities said.
Deputies were summoned at 11:55 p.m. to a parking lot at Birmingham Drive near Villa Cardiff Drive where a man in his 30s was reported crawling around the lot with no shirt and no shoes, sheriff’s officials said.
The man was arrested without incident on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs and taken to the Vista Detention Facility for booking, officials said.
But before deputies could book him he began throwing himself against the interior of the patrol car, injuring his face, and he moved his handcuffs from behind him to his front, officials said.
After deputies removed him from the car, fixed the handcuffs and sat him on a bench, the man began kicking and flailing against the deputies, officials said. They applied a WRAP restraint device and called for paramedics.
After paramedics arrived, the man suffered a medical emergency, lost consciousness and stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
San Diego Police Department homicide detectives were investigating the death. The man’s name was not released pending notification of family.
No further information was immediately released.
