Man Who Died In Richmond Police Custody Last Week Identified

RICHMOND (CBS SF/BCN) -- A man who died in police custody in Richmond last week has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner's office as 47-year-old San Francisco resident Ivan Gutzalenko.

Officers had responded around 10:35 a.m. Wednesday morning to a report of a man damaging property inside a business in the 12600 block of San Pablo Avenue and arrived to find a man who stumbled and fell to the ground and appeared to be in medical distress or under the influence of drugs, Richmond police said.

Officers placed the man, later identified as Gutzalenko, in a prone position and one officer placed his knee on the man's lower back to handcuff him.

After being placed on a gurney, the man was transported to a local hospital but "despite all live-saving measures the man passed away," according to a statement from the Richmond Police Department.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office is doing an independent investigation into the death, as is standard protocol for in-custody deaths in the county.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Richmond Homicide Detective Savannah Stewart at (510) 620-6541 or sstewart@richmondpd.net, or can call a tip line at (510) 307-8177.

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