San Diego, CA
San Diego police officer dies outside Riverside County jail shortly after his DUI arrest
A San Diego police officer died outside a Riverside County jail Saturday morning, less than 90 minutes after he had been released from the facility following his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said.
Riverside County sheriff’s officials said they are investigating, but there is no evidence of foul play in the death of Officer Lawrence Orso, 46, who was found unresponsive in the jail’s parking lot. San Diego police said Orso had suffered a medical emergency.
Orso was a 15-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department and worked as a patrol officer in the Mid-City and Northeastern Divisions. He lived in Murrieta.
“His family is in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” San Diego police Acting Lt. Travis Easter said in a statement to the Union-Tribune.
According to Riverside County Sheriff’s Office online jail records, the California Highway Patrol arrested Orso in the area of Interstate 215 and Murrieta Hot Springs Road just before 2:20 a.m. Saturday.
Little more than four hours later, Orso was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in the community of French Valley, near Murrieta, the records indicate.
He was released just after 8:25 a.m., Riverside County sheriff’s officials said in a news release Sunday.
Shortly before 9:55 a.m., deputies from the nearby Southwest Sheriff’s Station were sent to the jail parking lot to check a report of a man found unresponsive. They located him and began administering life-saving measures until paramedics arrived and took over. Orso died at the scene.
San Diego police said Riverside County sheriff’s officials notified them of Orso’s death.
Sheriff’s officials said the investigation into his death is ongoing and did not release further information.
Southern California News Group staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this report.
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