Man dies at SLO County courthouse after attempted traffic stop, foot chase, police say
Update to this story >> >> Police identify man who died at SLO County courthouse after attempted traffic stop
A man died at the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse early Sunday morning after police attempted to stop him for running a red light, according to San Luis Obispo police Capt. Jeff Smith.
Just after midnight, a police officer from the San Luis Obispo Police Department tried to pull the man over after he ran a red light, Smith said. The man got out of his car and began to run away, eventually ending up at the county courthouse, Smith said.
There, the man jumped a fence into a locked area of the courthouse that the police officer could not access, Smith said.
The officer then called for backup, Smith said, and additional officers arrived to provide assistance in searching for the man.
After searching around the courthouse for some time, Smith said, the officers left.
About one to two hours later, a witness called the Police Department to report a man lying down bleeding from his head near the courthouse, Smith said.
When officers arrived, the man — who appeared to be the same individual who the officer attempted to stop earlier — had “significant injuries” possibly related to a fall, Smith said. He was later pronounced dead at 2:30 a.m. by paramedics from the San Luis Obispo Fire Department, Smith said.
The circumstances surrounding the man’s death are not clear as no one witnessed how the man received the injuries, Smith said, and the Police Department is still investigating whether the man gained access to the courthouse’s roof or other high surface.
The San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office is currently working to determine the man’s official cause of death.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 12:41 PM.
