Prisoner Dies in Custody

Los Angeles: A 32-year-old man, arrested for being under the influence of cocaine, died at the Los Angeles County / USC Medical Center on December 11, 2006, after he beat his head against the wall of his jail cell.

Robert E. Jones was booked into the downtown Metropolitan Jail on a narcotics charge just after midnight on December 11, 2006. Jailers placed him in a cell by himself. Later that day, around 2:20 PM, Jones became violent, hitting his head against the wall of the jail cell.

A team of jailers, who are trained to extract volatile prisoners from jail cells, were able to extract Jones from the jail and restrain him. Jones’ self-inflicted injuries to the head required his transport to the county hospital. He was pronounced dead at 4:15 PM.

Following LAPD policy, the Force Investigation Division will investigate.