A 71-year-old Long Beach man died while incarcerated Tuesday, according to police.
On Friday, Aug. 14, Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) responded to a residence in the 300 block of Linares Avenue regarding a call of a restraining-order violation. When officers arrived they determined a valid restraining order was in place that prohibited Long Beach resident Michael Frank Smith from making contact with his wife. Officers placed Smith under arrest on the charge of violation of a court order and booked him in the Long Beach City Jail on $20,000 bail awaiting arraignment.
On Sunday, Aug. 16, during his incarceration at the jail, Smith was transported to a local hospital due to medical needs. He was treated by hospital staff and medically cleared to return to jail, police said.
The following Tuesday, jail staff, while making their rounds, noticed Smith appeared to be in medical distress and was unresponsive. Jail medical personnel immediately rendered aid to Smith, administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation while awaiting the arrival of Long Beach Fire Department paramedics, police said. Paramedics transported Smith in critical condition to a local hospital.
Due to the nature of Smith’s medical condition, the homicide detail was notified immediately and responded to investigate the incident, which is standard in all such cases, police said. Smith was released from custody and hospital staff continued his treatment.
Later that evening, LBPD learned that Smith had been pronounced deceased. It is unknown what caused him to go into medical distress.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is conducting an independent investigation to determine the cause of death, and the LBPD homicide detail is also continuing their investigation into the incident.
Those with information are asked to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Malcolm Evans and Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244.
