Bakersfield Man Dies In Custody After Police Use Taser

BAKERSFIELD, Cailf. -- The Kern County Sheriff's Department said a Bakersfield man who fell face-first to the ground and died after authorities immobilized him with a Taser was resisting arrest.

An autopsy performed on Friday concluded that Cecil Valenzuela suffered blunt-force trauma to the left side of his face and head, ABC 23 reported.

The coroner said that Valenzuela's trauma included fractures to the left side of his face and skull but that toxicology reports are still pending and would determine the actual cause of death.

Bakersfield police attempted to stop Valenzuela on Tuesday night on an outstanding warrant, according to the sheriff's department. But Valenzuela refused to stop, and officers forced him off his bike.

Authorities said Valenzuela continued to flee, and a BPD officer deployed a Taser. Valenzuela fell face-first to the ground, striking his face on the pavement.

Valenzuela refused medical treatment and was taken to the downtown jail at about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Early Thursday morning, a jail nurse requested that he be taken to Kern Medical Center, where he died about five hours later.