Man Arrested for Narcotics Dies in Police Custody

July 30, 2010

Los Angeles: A man who was arrested for selling narcotics died while in police custody.
On July 22, 2010, officers from LAPD’s Hollywood Narcotics Enforcement Detail and special agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration were involved in a joint task force targeting narcotics.  Around 8 p.m., officers monitored a drug transaction in a business parking lot near Cahuenga Boulevard and Yucca Avenue in Hollywood.  At the completion of the transaction, authorities arrested a suspect later identified as 45-year-old Alberto Arriaga.
LAPD officers transported Arriaga to Hollywood station for booking. After he was booked, Arriaga complained of pain to his chest area.  Officers summoned a rescue ambulance and Arriaga was rushed to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital where he died the next day.
The specific cause of Arriaga’s death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
LAPD’s Force Investigation Division will handle the in-custody death.