Carjacking suspect dies while in custody of Sonoma County sheriff's deputies

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A carjacking suspect died Wednesday after he had a medical emergency while handcuffed and in the custody of Sonoma County sheriff's deputies.

The unidentified man led two Sebastopol police officers and a sheriff's deputy on a pursuit through west Sonoma County around 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. An attempt to stop the suspect's car with a PIT maneuver that causes a vehicle to turn sideways failed. The deputies, however, boxed-in the suspect's vehicle with their vehicles on Sutton Street, a dead-end road in Bloomfield, sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia said. 

The suspect fought the deputies when they tried to arrest him for allegedly driving a stolen car and evading police. The deputies used a Taser but the man kept fighting, Valencia said. 

The deputies then tried to use a carotid restraint that causes a person to lose consciousness, Valencia said. The sheriff's office did not say whether that was successful.

After the deputies handcuffed the suspect he had a medical emergency. Deputies began life-saving measures and requested medical personnel and the suspect was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Valencia said.

Santa Rosa police are investigating the pursuit through the time of the suspect's death and the Marin County coroner's office will conduct an autopsy, Valencia said. The sheriff's office will do an administrative review to determine whether the deputies followed policies.