Man Dies After Being Restrained, Police Say

A man suspected of being under the influence of drugs died Saturday about an hour after three Long Beach police officers and several bystanders struggled to restrain him, police said.

The man, described only as being in his 40s, stopped breathing shortly after being handcuffed and after his ankles had been tied at a bank branch inside a Lucy’s Laundromat in the 400 block of East Anaheim Street. He died at St. Mary Medical Center about 11:15 a.m., Officer Jana Blair of the Long Beach Police Department said.

Police tied the man’s ankles so he would not kick, but “no batons were used; he wasn’t struck in any way,” Blair said. It’s unclear whether anyone had hit him before police arrived, she said.

The man, whose identity has been withheld pending notification of relatives, walked into the bank about 10 a.m. and began grabbing and pushing customers, police said.

One man managed to get him out of the building using a bear hug, but the suspect walked back inside.

A police officer arrived shortly after 10:20 a.m. and tried to talk to the man, but they ended up struggling with each other. Two more officers arrived and, with the help of bystanders, restrained the man, Blair said.

“After he was on the ground and the officers gained control with the assistance of patrons, it became apparent that he had stopped breathing. CPR was used,” Blair said. Paramedics took him to the hospital.

The man had a criminal history and was wanted on a warrant in connection with a narcotics violation, Blair said. As is routine, the incident will be probed by the department’s homicide unit and the district attorney’s office, Blair said.