SANTA PAULA : Driver’s Death Ruled Accidental

The Ventura County coroner’s office has ruled that the death of a 41-year-old Oxnard man was accidental but partly caused by law enforcement officers who tried to control the man with a special restraining device during a drug-induced delirium.

Victor Leith died Saturday of cardiac or respiratory arrest due primarily to methamphetamine, a drug that causes heart and breathing rates to accelerate, Deputy Coroner Craig Stevens said.

However, a contributing factor in Leith’s death was the attempted use of a leg restraint known as a “hobble,” that connects a suspect’s legs to his handcuffed wrists, Stevens said. Three Ventura County sheriff’s deputies and three California Highway Patrol officers attempted twice to restrain Leith with it when he tried to run away, Stevens said.

Leith was discovered by officers running along the Santa Paula Freeway east of Briggs Road on Saturday, said CHP Officer Frank Packard. Leith had left his car in a panicked state after it crashed into the highway median, Packard said.

The crash occurred after the passenger in Leith’s car became alarmed by his erratic driving, turned off the car’s ignition and steered it toward the center divider, Stevens said.

Passers-by called CHP officers, who persuaded Leith to come back to the median strip and sit down, Stevens said. When Leith again became physically aggressive and tried to run back into the freeway, more CHP officers and sheriff’s deputies were called, Stevens said.

The deputies and officers tried to restrain Leith by handcuffing him and using the hobble, Stevens said. To put on the restraint, the person must be placed on his stomach. Then, his legs are bent back toward his wrists, which are handcuffed behind him. Depending on a person’s build and the length of the rope used, the restraint can put a lot of pressure on the person’s chest, Stevens said.

Strengthened by the methamphetamine, Leith broke the first leg restraint and tried to run into the highway again, Stevens said. Officers were trying to control Leith with a second hobble when he stopped breathing, he said. Six officers were holding him down, but none had a knee in his back or was sitting on him, Stevens said.

The weight of Leith’s own body pressing down on his chest caused him to have trouble breathing, Stevens said. Leith was then taken to Santa Paula Hospital where attempts to revive him in the emergency room failed, Stevens said.