SAN DIEGO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Deputies are investigating after a 45-year-old man who was in Sheriff’s custody died at a local hospital on Sunday.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (SDSO) said that at around 4:20 a.m., several inmates at the San Diego Central Jail alerted deputies that another inmate had fainted and was in medical distress.
Deputies said they located the man in the dayroom area, where he was disoriented but responsive. They said he was immediately taken to the facility’s medical clinic for evaluation.
Paramedics and the San Diego Fire Department then transferred the man to a nearby hospital. Deputies said that while en route to the hospital, the man went into medical distress, and paramedics initiated lifesaving measures.
Despite their efforts, the man later died at the hospital around 5:20 a.m., according to authorities.
The man who died had been in Sheriff’s custody since April 2024 and was facing charges related to the possession of an illegal weapon.
Deputies said his identity is being withheld so his next of kin can be notified. A Sheriff’s Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to support the family.
The Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board has been notified of the death. The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, which is protocol for all in-custody deaths, according to SDSO.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death.
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