A man in police custody falls to his death after smashing a hospital window with his oxygen cylinder

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A man in police custody died in Northern California Thursday after smashing a hospital window with a metal oxygen tank and falling off a ledge after an altercation with an officer and a nurse, authorities said.

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San Jose police say the man is being held for violating a court order. Officers took him to the hospital due to an unspecified pre-existing medical condition.

Police said the man was charged with assaulting an officer and threatening to hit the officer and the nurse with an oxygen cylinder. They left the room and called for more help.

Police said the man smashed a window with his oxygen cylinder while alone in a hospital room and jumped off a ledge. The officer and two hospital security guards returned to the room to stop the man’s attempted escape, but he fell 20 feet (6.10 m) from the edge.

The man was seriously injured and pronounced dead at another hospital. His death in police custody is still under investigation.
San Jose is located about 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) southeast of downtown San Francisco.