Authorities announced Thursday that they are investigating the in-custody death of a Southern California inmate on Christmas Day.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that just before 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to an altercation between two inmates inside a cell at the Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. .
“Officers responded to the cell and deployed oleoresin pepper spray (commonly referred to as pepper spray) inside the cell to stop a fight between the inmates,” the news release said.
Both inmates were then handcuffed and removed from their cells in isolation, but officials said one of them, identified as 24-year-old Norco resident James Hart, After a while, he became unresponsive.
“Deputies and jail medical staff immediately began life-saving measures. Paramedics were requested to the jail and life-saving efforts continued, but Ms. Hart was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said. Ta.
The circumstances of his death, including the type of injuries and the details of the emergency medical treatment, have not been disclosed.
The Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning is shown in this undated photo from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
This case is currently being handled by special agents, including the Riverside Department of Corrections investigative agency and the Special Detectives Group, which conducts independent investigations into deadly and deadly use of force incidents by law enforcement.
Officials say the investigation is active and ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Riverside Sheriff’s Detective Scott Anderson or Riverside County District Attorney’s Detective J.R. Ferrer at 951-955-2777.
Hart was transferred to Riverside County from Atascadero State Hospital in San Luis Obispo County, according to jail records. Atascadero State Hospital is a high-security facility that houses inmates in psychiatric facilities.
He was scheduled to appear in court for a competency hearing on Dec. 30.
