A Ventura County inmate died Saturday afternoon after being cleared from a hospital the night before, officials said.
Oxnard police arrested Juan Zavala on suspicion of resisting and escaping arrest, according to a news release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Zavala was taken to the Ventura County Medical Center where he was treated and cleared for booking by hospital staff, officials said. He was booked into a holding facility around 10 p.m. Friday night.
After allegedly attempting to kick a deputy, Zavala was placed in a cell, authorities said. Deputies said Zavala was acting strange and showed signs of being under the influence of drugs.
About four hours later medical staff responded to a distress call from Zavala, officials said. Zavala was taken to Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura where he was pronounced dead at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Authorities are investigating the cause of Zavala’s death.
The incident marks the third reported death of a person in custody in Ventura and Los Angeles counties since Friday.
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On Friday morning, a man who Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said was resisting arrest died while in the backseat of a patrol car in Lancaster. A female inmate was found dead a day later in her cell in Santa Clarita. A cause of death was not determined in either case.
