Shoplifting Suspect, 31, Dies of Heart Attack Outside Store
A 31-year-old Garden Grove man suspected of shoplifting from Mervyn’s Department Store died from a heart attack outside the store as two security guards took him into custody, police said Sunday.
About 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Mervyn’s security officers followed the man from the store to a parking lot in the 500 block of North Euclid Street, Police Lt. Ray Welch said.
When the security guards took the man into custody after a brief fight, “the suspect experienced a medical condition and was believed to have stopped breathing,” Welch said.
The man, whose name was being withheld pending family notification, died at an area hospital.
An autopsy performed Sunday concluded that the alleged shoplifter died of a heart attack, Welch said.
“No trauma existed that would have caused the death of the suspect,” Welch said.
Police said the man had an extensive criminal history, but no details were available Sunday.
The investigation is continuing, police said.
Store officials declined to comment.
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