(L.A.) John Thompson, 49, Died in a Parking Lot
Case Number: 2023-12620
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 49-year-old male that occurred in a parking lot.
The coroner’s office has identified the man as John Thompson and listed his race/ethnicity as Latino.
Born in L.A. County. Mmother’s maiden name is Hose.
STATUS: The decedent’s body is ready to be released. Ruling by the deputy medical examiner is deferred pending additional investigation.
Manner and cause of death will be added to this page when it becomes available.
If the DME has ordered toxicological screening, the next public update may take six to nine months.
RIP JOHN H THOMPSON (January 26, 1974 – September 19, 2023)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Tuesday at 3:03 p.m.
The decedent was climbing a fence at a Long Beach elementary school with a sledgehammer when he was pulled off the fence by two men who then punched and kicked him as they tried to detain and disarm him.
Officers were called around 2:30 p.m. about a home invasion in the 6700 block of Orizaba Avenue, between Paramount Boulevard and Obispo Avenue, near the Artesia (91) Freeway. Residents directed them to nearby McKinley Elementary School, where the suspect had been seen scaling a fence carrying a sledgehammer. They found the suspect — later identified as John Thompson — detained by a bystander.
Officers handcuffed the man and realized he was unresponsive, and they began rendering medical aid while awaiting paramedics, who ultimately determined the man was dead at the scene.
There is video of the confrontation.
Because Thompson died while handcuffed, the death is being investigated as an in-custody death.
John Thompson was the victim. He most likely came home from work, and saw his house door open, He called the police, called it a house invasion, and the people chased him down the street. He most likely grabbed his sledge for protection. He was trying to get away from the guys that were in his home. He more than likely tried to scale the fence to get away from the people that beat him. the media should investigate the facts before publishing stories.
I’m the ex wife of John Thompson & was on the phone with him right before his death. He was having delusions that the CIA was chasing him, but there was definitely robbers in his apartment. He had the sledgehammer for his own protection. He shouldn’t have climbed a school fence, but he was running for his life.