Death in custody

An Oroville man died inside a patrol car after a struggle with Butte County Sheriff’s deputies who had been performing a welfare check on him the morning of Jan. 12.

Around 5 a.m., a caller reported that his father, Marc Chiasson, 65, had stopped taking his medication for physical and mental health issues, according to a BCSO press release. Two deputies responded to the home on Cox Lane and learned that Chiasson had attempted to take a shotgun from a safe and said he wanted to kill himself. After a brief struggle, the deputies reportedly handcuffed Chiasson to take him for a psychological evaluation.

Chiasson laid down in the back seat of the patrol car and became unresponsive, according to the release. The deputies removed the handcuffs and attempted CPR for 12 minutes. Medical personnel arrived and pronounced him dead on the scene.

The incident is under investigation by the District Attorney’s Office. The press release notes that Chiasson had pre-existing medical issues that will be examined during an autopsy conducted by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.