‘Barking’ Man Arrested, Dies 3 Hours Later

Three hours after his arrest on suspicion of trespassing and being under the influence of a narcotic, an unidentified man died early Saturday morning of an undetermined cause, police and the Orange County coroner’s office said.

The man, described as obese and in his 30s, was discovered in the back yard of a Huntington Beach house about 11 p.m. Friday, “barking like a dog,” Lt. Patrick Gildea said. His identity was still a mystery to detectives late Saturday.

“We just don’t know who he is,” Lt. Roger Parker said. “We have no idea where he came from.”

The owner of the Moore Circle house where the man was discovered called police to complain that someone was in the back yard exhibiting bizarre behavior, Gildea said.

When police arrived, Gildea said, they found the man lying on the ground and “barking.” He did not resist arrest, but because of his condition and weight--about 290 pounds--officers found it impossible to put him in the rear of the squad car, Gildea said.

“He was extremely intoxicated and officers could not get him back to jail,” Gildea said.

Police then called an ambulance, which transported the man to Huntington Beach Jail on a gurney, Gildea said.

But when the ambulance arrived at the police station, the man was not breathing. Paramedics called to the station managed to revive the man and ordered him transferred to Pacifica Community Hospital in Huntington Beach, Gildea said.

The man died at the hospital at 2:15 a.m. Saturday, Gildea said.