Ukiah man dies after arrest by sheriff's deputies, death under investigation
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office logo, serving Mendocino County, California. (Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office via Bay City News)
UKIAH, Calif. - A 29-year-old man died after being arrested by Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday night.
Deputies responded around 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday to a 9-1-1 hang-up call from an apartment complex in the 300 block of Brush Street in Ukiah. The deputies spotted a man fleeing the area on foot after seeing the deputies.
The deputies recognized the man from past interactions and pursued him on foot to no avail, according to the sheriff's department.
Video footage from the area where the man had fled was reviewed by deputies, who identified a 29-year-old man from Ukiah who was on probation.
The footage showed the man arriving at the apartment complex in a pickup that had been reported stolen from Contra Costa County. The pickup was towed by the sheriff's department for investigation.
An arrest warrant for the man was issued for suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, resisting arrest and violating probation, according to the sheriff.
A few hours later, the Ukiah Police Department received reports of a man yelling near Orr Creek Bridge, just south of Brush Street. Deputies joined Ukiah police and the California Highway Patrol in responding to the reports around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Officers found the suspect in Orr Creek. They asked the man to come out of the creek, but he refused, said the sheriff's department. While they were escorting him out of the water, deputies noticed the man was "exhibiting an altered level of consciousness."
Deputies carried the man from the creek to an embankment and he went unconscious, officials said. They removed the handcuffs and gave him multiple doses of Narcan, a medicine used to reverse opioid overdose. According to police, the man responded to the medication, but he continued to have a medical emergency.
Medical personnel were called to the scene while officers continued lifesaving measures. He was taken to Adventist Health Ukiah Valley's emergency room, but after 30 minutes of lifesaving efforts at the hospital, he was pronounced dead at 11:04 p.m.
The incident is currently under investigation by sheriff's office detectives. An autopsy has been scheduled on Monday to determine the cause of death.
The man's name is being withheld pending notification of his family.
The sheriff's department asks anyone with information about the incident to contact the Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center at (707) 463-4086, option 1. Anonymous tips can be made by calling (707) 234-2100.