OAKLAND — A vehicle theft suspect died Wednesday after he was found unresponsive with some kind of ligature around his neck in a holding cell area at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse, authorities said.
The exact cause of death of Enrique Gonsalez-Cruz, 27, of Oakland, has not yet been determined, but the case is being investigated as an in-custody death by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Gonsalez-Cruz had been arrested the night of Dec. 12 by the California Highway Patrol and booked at Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was formally charged with the crimes on Wednesday.
It was Gonsalez-Cruz’s fourth arrest for alleged vehicle theft this year. On the three prior occasions, he was charged but subsequently released from jail, court records show.
He was awaiting arraignment for this latest vehicle theft case on Wednesday and was in a holding cell when, according to a sheriff’s office release, he “was found unresponsive with a ligature around his neck.” The release did not say who found him or give details about the type of ligature — an item meant for tying or binding something tightly — was used.
Deputies assigned to the court rendered life-saving measures before he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased about 2:31 p.m. Wednesday.
The release said a forensic pathologist will determine the cause of death.
The sheriff’s office said Gonsalez-Cruz’s family has been notified of his death and the ongoing investigation.
The sheriff’s office said per its protocol in such cases, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the state Attorney General’s Office have been notified about the death and that a report would be subsequently submitted.
According to court records, the Dec. 12 case was the fourth Alameda County vehicle theft case Gonsalez-Cruz was being prosecuted for this year.
Two of the cases were nearly identical; in August and December, police in Oakland arrested Gonsalez-Cruz after an officer saw him pushing a motorcycle that was determined to have been stolen. In August, he claimed he bought the motorcycle from a friend. In September, he was arrested for allegedly driving a stolen Dodge Ram in Oakland, court records show.
According to the records, all four cases against him were dismissed by a judge Thursday after his death.
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