Man fleeing police dies after jumping off Monterey Cannery Row hotel railing onto rocky beach

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A man involved in an assault on Monterey’s Cannery Row over the weekend was found gravely injured hours later after apparently jumping off a hotel railing onto a rocky beach, and he died shortly after, police said.

In a press statement on Monday, the Monterey Police Department said officers patrolling Cannery Row between Hoffman and Prescott avenues just after 1 a.m. on Saturday saw two people fighting near the Salty Seal Pub. Officers approached and saw one person who was knocked unconscious, while the other person ran from the scene, police said.

The officers chased the male suspect, but then lost sight of him near the Monterey Plaza Hotel about two blocks away. Police said the assault victim was treated and released from the hospital, and did not want to provide any information about the incident.

Hours later, at about 8:14 a.m., police were called to the Monterey Plaza Hotel after a staff member reviewed surveillance video of someone jumping over a hotel patio railing at about 1:10 a.m. The promenade railing where the person jumped was about two stories high from the beach, with rocks below.

Police said around the same time, someone arrived at police headquarters to ask whether a relative had been arrested, since the relative had not returned home from the previous night. The person was informed that his family member had not been arrested, police said. 

The Police Department requested a Monterey Fire Department fireboat to help search for the person who went over the railing. Just before noon, the person was found injured “some distance” from where he would have fallen, the press release said.

The person was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

“We believe it is the same individual who was involved in the altercation and whom we then pursued, but could not locate the previous evening,” Police Chief David Hober told CBS News Bay Area.

The Police Department said the investigation was ongoing, and anyone with information about the incident was encouraged to contact Detective Wayland Kopp at (831) 646-3809. Anonymous tips can be submitted via (831) 646-3840.