HAYWARD, Calif. — A man who became unresponsive after being sedated in police custody died in March following an encounter with Hayward police and EMS personnel, according to The Mercury News.
The incident began on March 12 when Hayward officers responded to a reported disturbance involving a 41-year-old man at a residence on Virginia Street. According to police, the man, identified as Nathan Hoang, threw a brick through a window and confronted residents during a dispute. Officers say he later produced a screwdriver and adopted what they described as an “aggressive stance.”
Police attempted to subdue Hoang using a stun device multiple times. After he was handcuffed and placed on a gurney, a paramedic from Falck — the private ambulance company serving the area — administered midazolam, a benzodiazepine commonly used for sedation in prehospital settings, according to The Mercury News.
According to court records, Hoang stated he couldn’t breathe approximately 8 minutes after receiving the medication and soon became unresponsive. He was transported by ambulance to Eden Medical Center, where he was later declared brain dead.
Authorities said Hoang may have been under the influence of methamphetamine, citing his reported behavior and the discovery of suspected narcotics and paraphernalia in his vehicle. A nurse at Eden Medical Center later told police that blood pressure can significantly drop in patients who receive sedatives while also having other substances in their system, according to the police report.
Jeff Lucia, a Falck spokesperson, told The Mercury News that “patient privacy laws prohibit us from discussing any care we provide a patient.”
“Our paramedics and EMTs come to work every day and night to help people, often under challenging and stressful circumstances,” Lucia continued. “Everything we do, including every medication we administer, is for the safety and health of our patients. Falck stands behind the care provided by our dedicated paramedics and EMTs across Alameda County.”
The incident remains under investigation, and no official cause of death has been released.
