70-year-old dies after arrest at San Pablo casino

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A man who was arrested for allegedly refusing to leave an East Bay casino later died in custody after experiencing an unknown medical emergency, police said.

The incldent began on Saturday at about 10:44 p.m. at the San Pablo Lytton Casino. The San Pablo Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to a report of a banned guest who was asked to casino but was refusing. As officers were arriving, the casino security staff told dispatchers the 70-year-old man was physically resisting and staff was attempting to handcuff him, police said.

The casino patron was handcuffed when officers arrived and there no use of force by the responding officers, police said. The man was taken into custody for trespassing and was booked at the Contra Costa County Jail.

While at the jail, the man began having an unknown medical emergency, according to police. Jail staff and members of the Contra Costa Fire Protection District performed first aid and took the man to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

As required by county protocol, the Police Department is conducting a joint investigation with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. The man’s identity was withheld pending notification of his family.

Police asked anyone with information about the case to contact the San Pablo Police Department at (510) 215-3150.