SANTA ANA : Man Dies Following Struggle, Arrest

A 36-year-old Los Angeles man who officers said was displaying “bizarre behavior” as he walked along Harbor Boulevard died Monday night after three Santa Ana policeman struggled briefly to restrain him, a police spokesperson said Tuesday.

An autopsy conducted Tuesday did not determine a cause of death, but according to police it showed that the man, Leo Mark Dise of Los Angeles, did not die of trauma from bodily injury, wound or shock. Coroner’s deputies, who would not discuss the results of the autopsy with The Times, are scheduled to conduct toxicological tests to determine if alcohol or drugs played a role in the man’s death.

Police spokeswoman Maureen Haacker said officers patrolling the 200 block of North Harbor Boulevard at 9 p.m. reported that Dise was making “strange facial expressions,” and parts of his body were jerking involuntarily.

“The officers decided to place him under arrest and take him to police headquarters for further evaluation,” Haacker said, adding that when they began to handcuff Dise he struggled. Three officers forced him to the ground to handcuff him, she said, and once on the ground they realized that Dise was not breathing and did not have a pulse.

He was pronounced dead at a Garden Grove medical center.