Man dies in custody of CHP in Los Banos

A 48-year-old man died Tuesday night while in the custody of the California Highway Patrol in Los Banos, authorities have confirmed.

The man’s identity was not released Wednesday. The names of the officers involved in the incident also were not released.

CHP Officer Lance Velez confirmed that the man was taken into custody shortly after 7 p.m., handcuffed and placed in the back of a CHP vehicle. Minutes later, officers called for paramedics to respond quickly. Officers had initially been called to the area at 7:01 p.m. to investigate a man driving the wrong way on Interstate 5 north of Nees Avenue, Velez said.

The CHP said an autopsy report would be needed to determine whether the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“But, there were several factors indicating that something wasn’t right,” Velez said. “Driving the wrong way on a 70 mph highway and being combative with officers generally is a sign that something might be off.”

When officers initially located the man, the driver apparently got out of his vehicle, ignored commands from officers and struggled with two officers before he was placed in handcuffs, Velez said.

“There were no extra force measures taken during the incident,” Velez said.

Velez said the officers’ dashboard-mounted camera captured some of the incident, but he said the physical struggle happened off camera.

The CHP said the man was eventually handcuffed and placed in the back of the vehicle at 7:16 p.m. One minute later, Velez said, officers called for paramedics when the man apparently stopped breathing and officers initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At 7:18 p.m., officers told the emergency responders to get to the scene as quickly as possible, the CHP said.

“All this happened very quickly, just a few minutes,” Velez said.

The CHP confirmed that the man died at the scene, but the exact time of death was not available Wednesday.

The Merced County Coroner’s Office will conduct the autopsy. The Sheriff’s Department in Merced also will investigate the claimed assault on the officers, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Delray Shelton.

Shelton said there was little information to release as the investigation was still in its early stages Wednesday.

Velez said the CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation team would conduct its own investigation, in addition to a standard internal review, which the CHP’s Los Banos office will perform.

“That’s what will be done because this is a critical incident,” Velez said.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Man dies in custody of CHP in Los Banos."