Man dies in police custody

At about 2 p.m., sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 300 block of Second Avenue in unincorporated Redwood City. A woman called 911 and screamed into the phone for assistance while a man screamed in the background, Williams said.

Deputies responded and Casares confronted them outside the residence, Williams said. Casares allegedly charged toward the deputies and punched them in the face and head. One or more of the deputies administered pepper spray, took Casares to the ground and handcuffed him.

Casares stopped breathing, which prompted deputies to call medical personnel to treat Casares for pepper spray exposure. They began treatment and transported Casares to Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City where he was pronounced dead. The coroner said the cause of death is pending results of a toxicology test, which could take four to six weeks.

The last person to die due to county police use of pepper spray was Ricardo Escobedo in November 2002. Officers were cleared of wrongdoing.