MENDOCINO CO., 6/6/25 – A 36-year-old man died after Mendocino County sheriff’s deputies used a Taser stun gun to take him into custody east of Willits on Thursday evening, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities initially responded around 7 p.m. to a call about a hitchhiker who was picked up by a driver in the area of Hearst Willits Road and then allegedly made an unprovoked attack on the driver after entering the vehicle, sheriff’s officials said.
The driver was admitted to a hospital to be treated for injuries and the Sheriff’s Office did not give an update on the person’s status as of Friday afternoon.
A deputy responding to the area then saw a man walking in the middle of the road in the 1200 block of Hearst Willits Road. The man allegedly took a fighting stance and lunged at the deputy, who pointed his Taser at him and ordered him to surrender, sheriff’s officials said.
The man ignored the orders and ran into the brush north of the roadway as a sheriff’s sergeant also arrived at the scene. After giving multiple warnings, the deputies used pepper spray to try to get him to come out and the man moved onto his stomach, leading the deputies to try to place him in handcuffs, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The man allegedly resisted the deputies and assaulted one of them, leading the Taser to be deployed and he was eventually placed into handcuffs. However, authorities said “the male became unresponsive” so the handcuffs were removed and law enforcement gave CPR to him and also administered the opioid reversal drug Narcan, sheriff’s officials said.
Live-saving efforts continued for at least 25 minutes but the man was eventually pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified by the Sheriff’s Office as a Willits resident but his name has not been released.
Because the death occurred while the man was in custody, the county’s fatal incident protocol was invoked and the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office will be the lead agency for the investigation, sheriff’s officials said.
The deputy and sergeant involved in the case have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.
Anyone with information about the case is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at (707) 463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously at a non-emergency tip line at (707) 234-2100.Â