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Inmate dies in booking area of Sacramento County downtown jail after arrest by CHP

Sacramento County Main Jail on April 28, 2020
Sacramento County Main Jail on J Street in downtown Sacramento is seen in this 2020 photo. pkitagaki@sacbee.com

An inmate died Wednesday at the Sacramento County Main Jail after being arrested earlier in the day by the California Highway Patrol, sheriff’s officials said.

The 35-year-old man was found unresponsive in the downtown jail’s booking area at about 3:30 p.m., the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The inmate “did not move or respond” to an announcement at that time that food was being served, sheriff’s officials wrote.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the inmate as DeLion Chaffan Johnson.

Deputies and jail medical staff rendered aid until the arrival of Sacramento Fire Department personnel, who pronounced Johnson dead at the scene, according to the news release.

The coroner will determine the cause of death and forward its findings, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Johnson was in the process of being booked Wednesday following an arrest by the CHP on suspicion of felony charges including assault with a semiautomatic firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 8:18 AM.

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Michael McGough
The Sacramento Bee
Michael McGough is a sports and local editor for The Sacramento Bee. He previously covered breaking news and COVID-19 for The Bee, which he joined in 2016. He is a Sacramento native and graduate of Sacramento State. 
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