Man, 29, dies in custody; LAPD chief says force not used during standoff

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating an in-custody death, but details about how the 29-year-old man died were not immediately known, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday.

Officers responded Saturday to an apartment in the 200 block of West Sixth Street on a call about a “violent person with mental illness who was reportedly armed with a knife and a wrench,” Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday.

Officers found Nicholas Woodson, 29, barricaded in his apartment’s bathroom with “several knives” and what turned out to be a hammer, Moore said. Officers attempted to speak with Woodson during a standoff that lasted more than an hour, Moore said.

“At some point, Mr. Woodson stopped responding to the officers’ commands and officers made entry into the bathroom,” Moore said. “They observed Mr. Woodson, who was conscious and breathing but was in the state of a medical emergency.”

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel were already at the scene and provided medical assistance, Moore said. Woodson was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:05 a.m. on Sunday, according to Moore.

The chief added that there was no “reported use of force during the engagement,” but the in-custody death has launched an investigation by the Force Investigation Division. Body-worn video will be released in the coming weeks, along with other evidence gathered during the investigation.

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