Man Falls to His Death From Hotel Balcony After Arrest

A man who had just been handcuffed and arrested on suspicion of mail theft fell to his death from the 11th-floor balcony of his room at a Sherman Oaks hotel, Los Angeles police said Saturday.

Darren Mark Gertz, 26, of West Hills fell six floors onto the roof of an adjoining hotel building about 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sgt. Harry Mauk said.

U.S. postal inspectors had gone to Gertz’s room at the Valley Hilton, 15543 Ventura Blvd., to arrest him on suspicion of possessing stolen mail, Mauk said.

After handcuffing him, investigators told Gertz to sit down in a chair and he obeyed, police said. But while authorities searched the room, Gertz jumped up, sprinted through an open sliding glass door and onto the 3-foot-wide balcony, where he tumbled over a railing, Mauk said.

An investigation into Gertz’s death failed to determine if he intended to commit suicide or lost his footing while trying to escape from authorities, police said.

“The momentum of his body and the speed of his run carried his body to the balcony railing, where he apparently lost his balance and tumbled over the railing,” Detective Don Takbak said.

Mauk said police concluded their investigation Friday into the death, which was ruled an accident.

Representatives of the Valley Hilton would not comment on the incident, but Mauk said Gertz had been staying at the hotel for about three weeks. Few hotel guests were aware of the incident, police said.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner said an autopsy to determine the exact cause of Gertz’s death will be conducted next week.