Police Scuffle Contributed to, but Didn’t Cause Death : Autopsy: Coroner says Reseda man died after officers subdued him. Liver disease and a heart problem were also factors.

The autopsy of a man who collapsed and died after fighting with Los Angeles officers at a Reseda police station revealed that injuries he suffered during the struggle contributed to his death but were not the main cause, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.

Luis Zeledon, 36, of Reseda struggled with police after he tried to choke one officer at the West Valley Division Jail on May 15.

Zeledon had been arrested after drinking and fighting with a roommate in a Reseda apartment. During that scuffle, the roommate was cut on the forehead with a knife and Zeledon’s nose was broken.

The scuffle with police began after Zeledon, who had been cooperating with officers after his arrest, suddenly turned on Officer Leticia Yanecko, 26, as she was booking him, police said.

At least four other officers heard Yanecko’s calls for help and rushed into the booking room to help her.

After Zeledon was subdued and his hands and feet were bound, officers noticed that he had stopped breathing, and he was taken by ambulance to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead 10 hours after the 6 a.m. incident.

The autopsy determined that liver disease and an irregular heartbeat contributed to Zeledon’s death, along with injuries sustained in the fight with officers, a coroner’s spokesman said Saturday.

He would not elaborate.

Detectives may launch an investigation into Zeledon’s death based on the autopsy results, which were released last week.

“If it is a law enforcement activity-related death, then the robbery-homicide division of the LAPD will probably look into it,” said Officer Mike Schwehr of detective headquarters.

Times staff writer Hugo Martin contributed to this report.