Man Dies After Police Pepper-Spraying

A 41-year-old man died in a hospital of undetermined causes after he was pepper-sprayed while fighting with two police officers investigating a domestic dispute call, authorities said Friday.

The identity of the dead man was not released pending notification of relatives, said Lt. Anthony Alba, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The incident began about 8:30 p.m. Thursday when Officers Kevin Hawkins, 37, and Julie Carpenter, 33, responded to a domestic violence call at a residence in the 11800 block of Foothill Boulevard, according to authorities.

When the officers arrived, a woman at the house pointed to the man, who was already fleeing, Alba said. Hawkins and Carpenter chased him on foot.

Hawkins caught the man, who punched and kicked him, breaking free several times, authorities said. Carpenter then peppered-sprayed the man and helped arrest him.

The officers called paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department because of the pepper-spray use and a deep cut on the man’s scalp, according to authorities. He was taken to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, where he went into cardiac arrest and died.

According to authorities, the man had assaulted his pregnant girlfriend at another location sometime before his arrest, Alba said.

The case was under investigation by the LAPD’s Robbery/Homicide Division, which investigates all deaths of police prisoners.

“Because we don’t know the cause of the death, we can’t rule out anything,” said Alba. “This is still a preliminary investigation.”

An autopsy was pending, said Scott Carrier, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Hawkins, an officer for 2 1/2 years, was treated for bruises, authorities said. Carpenter, an officer for three years, was not injured.