Sacramento police investigating ‘in-custody’ death. Man in handcuffs died following standoff

The Sacramento Police Department has launched an in-custody death investigation after a man detained by officers died Tuesday night after sitting handcuffed in a patrol car following a standoff.

Officers were called just before 4:30 p.m. for a welfare check on the 3600 block of Jasmine Street in East Del Paso Heights, police said in a news release. The man’s relatives told dispatchers he was under the influence of narcotics and could potentially harm himself, police said.

According to police, the 51-year-old man was “sitting nearby holding a knife” when officers located him. He threw the knife in the street and barricaded himself in a car, police said.

Officers began to negotiate for his exit from the vehicle. “Ultimately, officers were able to remove him from the vehicle,” police said in a statement, though they did not elaborate how. The man was then placed in handcuffs inside a patrol car as officers called Sacramento Fire Department personnel to the scene to evaluate the man.

The man became “unresponsive” and firefighters rendered medical aid, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office is expected to release the man’s identity, though a cause of death may not be determined right away. A standard toxicology report often takes weeks or months to be completed, the Coroner’s Office has said.

Police homicide detectives, internal affairs officers and professional standards unit are each investigating the death. The Office of Public Safety Accountability, a civilian oversight committee, and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office will also monitor the investigation, police said.

Officers’ body-worn cameras was also expected to be released within 30 days, in line with standard agency practice.