Head blows seen as cause of jail death

An Anaheim man who died April 1 after a jailhouse struggle with Orange County sheriff’s deputies was killed by traumatic blows to his head, an attorney for the man’s father said Tuesday.

Sheriff’s officials had previously disclosed that deputies shocked Jason Jesus Gomez, 35, with a Taser electric stun weapon at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana, but they gave no indication that Gomez sustained head wounds.

An independent autopsy by a pathologist hired by Gomez’s family has preliminarily determined that blunt force trauma and not the Taser caused his death, attorney Stephen Bernard said.

Pathologist Marvin Pietruszka, who conducted the autopsy, declined to be interviewed, saying he did not have authorization to discuss the matter. He has not prepared a report.

“Let me tell you what they did to him: They punched his lights out,” said Bernard, who is representing Gomez’s father. “They beat him to death.”

Sheriff’s spokesman John McDonald declined to comment, referring questions to the district attorney’s office, which is investigating Gomez’s death.

The district attorney’s office declined to discuss the case.

In addition to the head injuries, Gomez had bruises on his arms and hands that appeared to have been caused by deputies stomping on him, Bernard said.

Sheriff’s officials said deputies used force, including the Tasers, to restrain Gomez after he injured a nurse by grabbing her arm when she tried to pass him medication through an opening in his cell door.

He lived for one week in a coma on life support.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson placed several employees on administrative leave in the aftermath of the incident, but said the steps were not an indication of wrongdoing by deputies.

Gomez’s father, Jose De Jesus Gomez, has filed a claim against the Sheriff’s Department seeking unspecified monetary damages for wrongful death.

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stuart.pfeifer@latimes.com

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Times staff writer Christine Hanley contributed to this report.