Man Dies After Struggle With Police Officers in Bell Gardens

A man believed to be under the influence of drugs died after his arrest by the Bell Gardens Police Department, authorities said Sunday.

The death occurred as two Bell Gardens gang investigators tried to subdue the man, Henry Sanchez, 35, of Bell Gardens, at about 9 p.m. Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Sanchez resisted arrest and “while being handcuffed, stopped breathing,” Deputy Kimberly Unland said.

Paramedics took Sanchez to Downey Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Preliminary medical tests found methamphetamine, cocaine and PCP in his system, Unland said, but the coroner’s office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Sanchez faced several outstanding warrants and was found in possession of different drugs in “quantities [that] were sufficient for drug sales,” Unland said.