Death of man found unresponsive in West Mifflin police holding cell under investigation

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (KDKA) -- Investigators say a man who died days after being found unresponsive in a West Mifflin police holding cell was hit in the face by another person before his arrest. 

Allegheny County police said the 31-year-old was taken into custody on public drunkenness charges around 3 a.m. on July 5 after West Mifflin police got a call about a drunk man trying to enter a home in the area of Worton Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue. The man was placed in a West Mifflin police holding cell, where detectives said he fell asleep. 

When officers tried to wake him up around 12:30 p.m., they said he was found unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where police said he died on July 10. 

The county police's homicide unit was called in to help investigate a couple of days earlier when the man was declared brain dead. Through their investigation, detectives learned that before he had been taken into custody, the man got into a fight with another person at a home in Versailles and was hit in the face. The other person drove the man to the Uni-Mart on Worton Boulevard and left him after he regained consciousness, police said. 

The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. His identity hasn't been released. 

Allegheny County police said they're still actively investigating and they're working with the district attorney's office to determine charges. 

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the county police tipline at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.