An 18-year-old robbery inmate at the Twin Towers Jail in Downtown LA died after being punched in the face by a sheriff's deputy during an altercation, a sheriff's captain said today.
George Rosales was found unresponsive in his one-person jail cell in downtown Los Angeles at 12:42 a.m. Thursday, said Capt. Mike Parker of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
Jail medical staff performed CPR on Rosales before he was taken to County-USC Medical Center, Parker said. Rosales was arrested for robbery on July 27, 2011 by the Century Sheriff's Station, said Parker. Details of the robbery were not made available.
Sheriff's records show Rosales injured himself twice while exercising in his housing area in September, Parker said. He was seen by medical professionals on both occasions, and taken to a hospital on one occasion.
During an altercation on Tuesday, Rosales was punched in the face by a deputy, Parker said.
``He was handcuffed, taken to be seen by a jail medical professional, and cleared to return to jail housing,'' Parker said.
A custody assistant reported seeing Rosales drinking water in his cell around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Parker said. A jail nurse found him in medical distress about 12 minutes later.
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The cause of death is not known and will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, Parker said.
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