Man Shot With Taser by Tustin Police Dies

A man shot by Tustin police with a Taser in an apartment that they believed he was burglarizing died Monday, authorities said.

Richard Alvarado, 38, of Orange, was pronounced dead at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana about 10:40 a.m.

He never regained consciousness following his confrontation with police the night before, said Lt. Steve Lewis, a spokesman for the Tustin Police Department.

“We really don’t know what happened with him,” Lewis said.

The altercation took place about 7 p.m. Sunday, he said, after police were summoned to an apartment in the 17400 block of Mitchell Street to investigate reports that a burglar had broken in.

Lewis said officers found Alvarado -- who appeared to be under the influence of drugs -- still inside, apparently having broken in through a window.

They tried to take him into custody, resulting in a struggle during which Alvarado was struck by a Taser -- a device that shoots small electrical probes designed to shock and subdue a suspect.

After arresting him, Lewis said, the officers called for paramedics who treated Alvarado for cuts caused by broken glass when he suddenly stopped breathing.

An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death, a coroner’s spokesman said. The incident is being investigated by Tustin police and the Orange County district attorney’s office, Lewis said.