Man, 29, who died in sheriff’s deputies’ custody identified
VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) has identified the man who died after being taken into custody by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) in Cardiff earlier this month.
The man was identified as 29-year-old Abdul Kamara. His cause of death is still under investigation by the San Diego County Medical Examiner.
According to a release from SDPD, Carlsbad police responded to a call at a restaurant in the 900 block of Carlsbad Village Drive about a man asking to call for an ambulance around 9:11 p.m. Paramedics arrived and took him to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.
At around 10:55 p.m., SDSO got a call from the hospital asking to check the area because the man had allegedly walked away from the hospital. SDPD said deputies were unable to find the man.
Man dies after taken into custody by Sheriff’s deputies in Cardiff
The man, now identified as Kamara, was found and arrested by deputies from SDSO’s North County Coastal Patrol Station around midnight, following a call about a “suspicious person” crawling around a parking lot in the 800 block of Birmingham Drive with no shirt and no shoes, according to SDPD.
Kamara was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and determined to be the same man from the prior two calls. He was taken to the Vista Detention Facility.
SDPD said before being booked into jail, Kamara “began throwing himself against the interior of the patrol car, causing injury to his face.” He was told to exit the car, fix his handcuffs and sit down on a bench.
According to SDPD, Kamara stood up and “began kicking and flailing against deputies,” which led deputies to restrain him in a WRAP device. Deputies monitored Kamara until paramedics arrived.
After paramedics arrived to the scene, SDPD said Kamara experienced a medical emergency and “went unconscious and stopped breathing.” Paramedics used life-saving measures before taking him to a local hospital for treatment, but Kamara was pronounced dead at 4:00 a.m, according to SDPD.
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SDPD identified the deputies who initially arrested Kamara as Deputy Alejandro Aguilera and Deputy Tyler Phillips. Both of them were assigned to the SDSO North County Coastal Patrol.
The deputies who assisted them at the Vista Detention Facility were Corporal Christopher Aberle, Deputy Carlos Heard, Deputy Travis Kaapke and Deputy Derrick Jones, according to SDPD.
The San Diego Police Homicide Unit was called to the scene to conduct the in-custody death investigation. SDPD said detectives went to Vista to gather evidence, interview witnesses and examine the circumstances that led up to the medical emergency.
Following the investigation, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office will determine if the officers bear any criminal liability for their actions. The San Diego Sheriff’s Department will then conduct an administrative investigation and the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) will conduct a review of the incident.
Authorities said the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office will also be monitoring the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is advised to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
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