A man in police custody died Thursday in Northern California after he broke a hospital's window with a metal oxygen tank and fell off a ledge following an altercation with an officer and a nurse, authorities said.
The man was in custody because he had allegedly violated a court order, according to San Jose police. Officers took him to the hospital for an unspecified pre-existing medical condition.
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The man is accused of assaulting an officer and threatening to hit the officer and a nurse with the oxygen tank, police said. They left from the room and called for more help.
A California man in police custody reportedly died after falling from a ledge he climbed onto after breaking through a hospital window with his oxygen tank. (Fox News)
The man broke the window with the oxygen tank while he was alone in the hospital room and jumped out onto a ledge, the police department said. The officer and two hospital security guards went back into the room to stop the man's escape attempt, but he fell 20 feet from the ledge.
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The man sustained life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at a different hospital. His death in police custody is under investigation.
San Jose is about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Francisco.