LA PUENTE : Drug Overdose Suspected in Death of Man in Custody

A La Puente man who reportedly acted bizarrely and died while in custody may have overdosed on cocaine, authorities said.

Melicio Beltran Castro, 34, had cocaine in his pockets and doctors reported he was under the influence of the drug, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman said. Autopsy results were incomplete, a coroner’s spokesman said.

Castro was arrested and put in a sheriff’s patrol car at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday after struggling with a friend on Common Street in La Puente, deputies said. The friend told officers Castro was throwing rocks and “acting very bizarre.” Once inside the patrol car, Castro began hitting his head against the security screen and doors. He was taken to the City of Industry sheriff’s station, where his legs were restrained for transport to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

When he began having breathing difficulty, Castro was driven to Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, where he died at 4:52 p.m., deputies said.