A 35-year-old man in custody at San Diego Central Jail was stricken by some sort of apparent medical emergency Wednesday and died hours later in a hospital, authorities reported.
Deputies and a nurse distributing medication at the Front Street detention center at about 4:30 a.m. found the inmate slumped over a table in his cell, seemingly in "medical distress," according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.
Jailers performed CPR on the man prior to the arrival of paramedics, who took over the lifesaving efforts and transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 8:30 a.m., sheriff's Lt. Juan Marquez said.
The identity of the inmate, who had been in jail for six days on suspicion of grand theft and violation of a court order, was withheld pending family notification.
A cause-of-death ruling in the case was pending.
"The San Diego Sheriff's Office extends our sympathies to the decedent's family and all those affected by his passing," Marquez said. "A sheriff's family-liaison officer will support the family as they navigate through this difficult time."