Woman Dies While in Custody for Mental Evaluation

A Pacoima woman who struggled with police while being taken into custody for a mental evaluation collapsed at the Van Nuys Jail and died at a hospital, Los Angeles police reported Tuesday.

The name of the 25-year-old woman was not released pending notification of relatives. An autopsy had not been performed, and the cause of death was unknown, Detective Ron Karlson said.

Police were forced to subdue the woman when they were summoned to the 12700 block of Mercer Street in Pacoima at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Karlson said. Officers were called by paramedics who had initially been notified by a resident who reported that a woman who was acting bizarre had fallen on the street, Karlson said.

Four officers restrained the woman and handcuffed her so she could be taken into custody for a mental evaluation, Karlson said. He said the woman was not struck while being subdued. It was not known if she was under the influence of drugs, Karlson said.

The woman was taken by ambulance to Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar for a psychiatric evaluation. But before she was admitted, police determined that she had several outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrants and took her to Van Nuys Jail. Karlson would not reveal why the warrants were issued.

While being booked at the jail, the woman collapsed and stopped breathing, Karlson said. The jail doctor tried to revive her and paramedics took her to Valley Hospital Medical Center in Van Nuys, where she was pronounced dead shortly before 4:30 p.m., Karlson said.