O.C. inmate dies after jailhouse altercation
- Share via
An Orange County jail inmate has died one day after he was hospitalized following an altercation with a fellow inmate, authorities said Thursday.
Thiep Truong Nguyen, 49, had been in the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange on charges of burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock.
Nguyen was found unconscious inside his jail cell before noon Tuesday after deputies responded to a physical altercation between Nguyen and his cellmate.
Nguyen, who was scheduled to appear in court Friday, was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition, Hallock said.
Investigators are withholding the name of the other inmate involved in the altercation, a 39-year-old.
It’s unclear if the incident was a fight or an attack. The Orange County district attorney’s office is investigating the incident.
The jail, the county’s largest detention center, is a maximum-security facility that can hold more than 3,400 inmates.
For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno. He can be reached at [email protected].
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
