Sacramento detectives investigate death of man in custody following Del Paso Heights welfare check

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Police Department said Tuesday that an investigation is underway into an in-custody death involving a subject in the Del Paso Heights area.

Sgt. Dan Wiseman, a spokesperson for the police department, said officers initially responded shortly after 4:30 p.m. to perform a welfare check along Jasmine Street.

The subject of the welfare check—an adult man—threatened to harm himself and appeared to be under the influence of drugs while armed with a knife, Wiseman said. The man tossed the knife into the street when officers tried to contact him.

The man then ran away and barricaded himself in a nearby vehicle. Wiseman said officers were eventually able to detain him without the use of force.

However, at some point, the man became unresponsive and medics were called to the scene. Wiseman said the man—who has not been identified—later was declared dead at an area hospital.

It was not yet clear how the man died. Wiseman said homicide detectives are investigating the incident.