Central Jail Inmate Hangs Himself With Shoelaces

An inmate early Thursday hanged himself with shoelaces tied to the bars of his single-man cell in the Men’s Central Jail, authorities said.

The 29-year-old inmate, whose name was withheld until his relatives were notified, was found in his cell at 1:35 a.m. by deputies making security checks, Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Stoneman said. The man had tied the shoelaces to his neck and to bars on the door, Stoneman said.

Deputies tried to revive him, but a doctor pronounced him dead at 1:50 a.m. He had been arrested Saturday on suspicion of battery and was serving a 20-day sentence. He was scheduled to appear in South Gate Municipal Court on June 26 on a charge of driving on a suspended license.