Man Who Died in Custody Is Identified
Glendale police Wednesday identified a 29-year-old man who died in custody Tuesday as David Lowe Martinez of Los Angeles.
Sgt. Lief Nicolaisen said Martinez suffered a seizure and was taken to Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center. He was pronounced dead at 7:40 a.m. Tuesday, Nicolaisen said.
Responding to a drunk driving call, police stopped Martinez’s 1982 GMC pickup truck at 5 a.m. near Montrose and La Crescenta avenues.
Officers conducted a series of sobriety tests on Martinez, the driver, and eventually found that he did not have a valid driver’s license, authorities said.
Martinez was arrested on suspicion of driving without a license--a misdemeanor--and taken to Glendale City Jail, where more sobriety tests were given to him, Nicolaisen said. A passenger in the pickup was not arrested.
Martinez had a seizure in the booking area of the jail and paramedics were called to the scene, police said.
“There were no altercations involved in his arrest,” Nicolaisen said.
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