Woman dies in custody after medical emergency during arrest, Sacramento police say

Sacramento police say a woman died in custody Sunday days after she suffered a medical emergency while being detained.

Poilce were called to the 3600 block of Fulton Avenue. on Nov. 16. Private security told police the woman had been there for several days and police issued her a trespassing notice.

The next day police responded to the same location, where the private security said the woman was in a vehicle in the parking lot and refusing to leave. The woman told police she was having problems with her vehicle and they called a tow truck for her.

Hours later, an officer returned to find the woman still on the property after she declined assistance from the tow truck. She refused additional offers for transportation and shelter and refused to leave, according to police.

The officer then placed her under arrest for trespassing and the two had “a brief struggle,” according to a post by the police department. After she was handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol vehicle, the woman became unresponsive.

The officer called in medical assistance and the woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment. She was pronounced dead Sunday morning.

The woman will be identified after next of kin are notified. Police are investigating the incident as an in-custody death. The investigation will be conducted by the department’s own homicide unit and overseen by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

Following city protocol, all video pertaining to the incident will be released within 30 days.