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Antelope Valley man dies while being arrested by sheriff's deputies
Officers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
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Christopher Okula/KPCC file photo
)
An Antelope Valley man died on Saturday following a struggle with L.A. County Sheriff's deputies as they tried to arrest him.
Authorities say they were looking for a felony suspect who was accused of making criminal threats. Deputy Joana Warren says when they they found him in the backyard of his home in Lake Los Angeles, he initially complied with orders to put his hands behind his back. But then he became violent.
"The suspect suddenly turned and punched one of the two deputies onto the ground. The suspect then jumped on the deputy, straddling his chest as he continued his attack on the deputy," Warren told KPCC.
She says the deputy's partner used a TASER on the suspect but it had no effect. The suspect then tackled the second deputy to the ground. A neighbor jumped in to help and deputies were able to handcuff the man. But Warren says the suspect continued to fight while in handcuffs, when deputies noticed his breathing becoming labored. They performed CPR but the man died at the scene.
The man's identity has not been revealed but Officials from the LASD have confirmed that he was in his late 50s. He had no weapons on him. Authorities don't know if he was under the influence. He is alleged to have threatened to kill several people including a three-year-old and a 10-year-old who were walking by his house.
Sheriff's detectives are investigating the case.
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