Officials: Mendocino County man who died in confrontation with officers was on methamphetamine

Methamphetamine intoxication caused the death of a man who collapsed after being shocked with Tasers while being arrested in Point Arena last year, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s officials said the stress of being restrained by law enforcement also contributed to the death of Daniel Cedar Saulsbury, 39, by causing his body to release increased amounts of catecholamine, which includes adrenaline and is typical of a “fight or flight” response.

Members of Saulsbury’s family have filed two claims against the county seeking some $1.5 million for what they allege was a wrongful death. The claims are expected to be rejected by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, a standard procedure that allows them to be filed as lawsuits.

Saulsbury, of Fort Bragg and Point Arena, was a suspect in a robbery in November when law enforcement officers attempted to arrest him. The officers deployed their Tasers four times, according to a spokesman with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, which is investigating the incident.

Once detained and handcuffed, Saulsbury continued to struggle, banging his head on the ground and fighting off paramedics trying to check on his condition, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Saulsbury had a criminal history and had been released from jail in connection with a domestic violence case just a month before his death, his mother said last year.

Saulsbury had drug and alcohol abuse problems in the past but had been clean and sober for several years, his mother said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter