Sheriff’s Office probes death of jail inmate after Taser use

A Santa Cruz man died Sunday after deputies stunned him with 50,000 volts of electricity in the Santa Cruz County Jail Saturday night.

David Anthony Cross, 44, was booked Saturday for a domestic violence-related incident, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office.

While in custody, Cross began yelling, kicking and banging his head on his cell door, the statement said. He resisted deputies’ attempts to restrain him, and they used a Taser to control him, the statement said.

During the incident, which occurred about 10:20 p.m., Cross stopped breathing. Paramedics took him to Dominican Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. He died Sunday afternoon.