Prisoner’s Death in Police Jail Cell Is Ruled a Suicide

OXNARD — A 55-year-old drunken man who was taken into custody at a relative’s request died in his cell early Tuesday after stuffing his shirt down his throat, police said.

Pedro Martinez Gonzalez was pronounced dead at 5:16 a.m. in the Police Department’s booking cell, said Deputy County Coroner James Baroni.

Gonzalez had stuffed part of his shirt and pieces of his shirt sleeve down his throat, Baroni said. He ruled the suffocation death a suicide.

Gonzalez was arrested shortly before 1 a.m., when his sister-in-law called police, said David Keith, a Police Department spokesman.

“He was arrested for being drunk in public,” Keith said. Police put Gonzalez into a booking cell, where an officer checked on him periodically, Keith said.

According to department guidelines, police personnel should check on booking cell occupants every 30 minutes.

Gonzalez, who was alone in his cell, was last seen alive at about 4 a.m. Police found Gonzalez dead at 5:05 a.m. and called paramedics. But they were unable to revive Gonzalez.