The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating after a 51-year-old man booked into the 77th Street Jail for outstanding warrants and a substance that appeared to be methamphetamine died while in custody, authorities announced on Monday.
Plain clothes narcotics detectives from LAPD’s 77th Street Division detained Gardena resident Derrick Harden on July 14 near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 71st Street. During their investigation, police said they discovered that Harden was in possession of “a crystalline substance resembling methamphetamine” and that he had two outstanding warrants for his arrest.
He was booked into the 77th Street Jail and at around 5:30 p.m., was examined by medical staff at the facility’s dispensary, who determined that he would require medical treatment for exposure to meth and a preexisting condition, an LAPD news release stated. The 51-year-old was then taken to a local hospital and examined by emergency room physicians who medically cleared him for booking.
Just after midnight on July 15, Harden was returned to the 77th Street Jail and put in a single-person cell.
In video footage released by LAPD, Harden can be seen getting out of the bottom bunkbed at around 11:44 a.m. He’s then seen moving toward the cell’s toilet before collapsing backward and falling to the floor.
He was later discovered by jail personnel who attempted life saving measures for more than 45 minutes, authorities said. Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department also responded and later declared him dead.
Derrick Harden seen as he’s escorted out of the dispensary at LAPD’s 77th Street Jail on July 15, 2023. (LAPD) 
Derrick Harden seen as he’s escorted to a single-person cell at LAPD’s 77th Street Jail on July 15, 2023. (LAPD) 
Derrick Harden seen on video footage moments before he collapsed to the floor on July 15, 2023. (LAPD) 
Derrick Harden, 51, of Gardena, died on July 15, 2023, while in custody of the Los Angeles Police Department. (LAPD)
“Any death of a person in the custody of the Department is defined…as a Categorical Use of Force,” according to LAPD. “In accordance with that policy, LAPD’s Force Investigation Division assumed investigative responsibility of this incident upon learning that Harden had been pronounced deceased.”
An autopsy by the L.A. County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner preliminarily attributed Harden’s death to his pre-existing condition, though a toxicology report is still pending.
The investigation into Harden’s death is ongoing, police said.
