JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Questions remained on Monday about the cause of death of a man who died after becoming unresponsive in a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office cruiser on Sunday.
Charles Samuel Urbach, 38, became unresponsive in the back of a patrol car after his arrest on the Southside. It was just over an hour after Urbach was taken into custody by JSO that he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
According to Urbach’s arrest report, a mother told officers she and her children were bringing in groceries when they started yelling someone was in their home.
She told her kids to get in the car, then went inside and told officers she saw Urbach jump her backyard fence, the report says.
A nearby couple also spoke to police, and told them they heard someone jiggling their door handle—and when they looked outside, they saw the man, who they said appeared to be intoxicated.
The man in that home told police he grabbed his gun and yelled for the suspect to leave.
JSO said Urbach climbed several fences and wandered through several backyards before they found him hiding in a pond and arrested him.
While being escorted from the rear of the property to a patrol vehicle, JSO said Urbach became “combative” and struck a K-9 officer in the chest with his elbow while being searched.
“Officers quickly gained control using minimal force, and the suspect was secured in the rear of a patrol vehicle without further incident,” JSO said.
The agency said its officers began identifying Urbach when he became unresponsive in the police vehicle.
“Officers immediately requested medical assistance from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department after the suspect failed to respond to multiple sternum rubs,” JSO said. “As officers awaited JFRD’s arrival, two doses of NARCAN were administered by officers trained in its use.”
Upon arrival, JFRD declared Urbach dead at 2:42 p.m.
Attorney Curtis Fallgatter said the arrest report raises several questions from a legal standpoint.
“Was it minimal force? Was it something extra? Because obviously, you go from arrest to a man who is dying in the backseat of a patrol car. Something happened,” Fallgatter said.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said officers are trained to respond quickly when someone becomes unresponsive.
“The first responsibility that the officer has is to call for fire rescue and then to immediately assess that situation, to make a determination as to really what’s going on. It’s common sense, things that they’ll do, they’ll check that, do the ABCs, you know, airway, breathing, circulation,” Hackney said.
Hackney said body camera footage is crucial in cases like this.
“Massive, it truly is. It, and it gives investigators and the public as well, the ability to see that there was no force used in a case like this and that the story that’s provided by not only the bystanders but the officers involved is completely accurate.”
News4JAX requested body camera footage, 911 calls, text messages, radio communications and emails related to this incident.
JSO responded, saying:
“This continues to be an active investigation. The release that went out following the incident is all that has been offered for dissemination. As soon as further is available, it will be released to the public,” a spokesperson wrote.
Fallgatter said until the medical examiner’s report and body camera are released, there’s no clear picture.
“Was it police involvement? Was it an overdose? Was it some unexpected heart condition? They couldn’t save him. So those legal positions could follow, and obviously lawsuits could follow,” Fallgatter said.
With no cause of death yet and body cam footage still sealed, key questions remain about what happened after Urbach’s arrest.