Alameda County

Burglary Suspect Dies in Custody After Possible Chemical Exposure in Fremont

The man was initially detained in a patrol vehicle, but police said he was compliant and no force was used in the arrest.

A man who allegedly attempted to burglarize a Fremont apartment building that was being fumigated with a hazardous chemical Wednesday later died at the hospital, according to police.

Police and firefighters were dispatched to the 39800 block of Fremont Boulevard at 2:22 p.m. on a report of a man on the ground with difficulty breathing.

The man was initially detained in a patrol vehicle, but police said he was compliant and no force was used in the arrest.

Paramedics with the Fremont Fire department evaluated the man and transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators later determined that he had allegedly spent several minutes in part of the apartment complex covered by a fumigation tent marked with "Do Not Enter" signs announcing the presence of the chemicals sulfuryl fluoride and chloropicrin.

After leaving the tent, he suffered a medical emergency and later died, according to police. The man's name is not yet being released.

Along with Fremont police, the in-custody death is also being investigated by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

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