Tragedy struck the Los Angeles Transit Service Division earlier this month when Ronald Shaheen, arrested for an outstanding felony warrant, later died while under medical care. According to a report from the LAPD Newsroom, Shaheen was picked up by officers on a routine foot beat at the 7th Street and Metro Center station on March 10, 2024. The check revealed Shaheen's warrant, leading to his arrest and transportation to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) for booking.

What seemed like a regular arrest took a turn for the worse when Shaheen started to suffer from a medical emergency during his pre-booking at the MDC. He was swiftly attended to by the Los Angeles Fire Department and rushed to a local hospital. Despite efforts to stabilize his condition, Shaheen was cited out for his arrest warrant on March 13, yet to only continue battling for his life.

The hospital where Shaheen was admitted pronounced him deceased at 4:44 a.m. on March 17, 2024. His body was then transferred to the Forensic Science Center by the Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner – Coroner for further examination. An autopsy is currently pending to ascertain the exact cause of death. The coroner took charge of notifying Shaheen's next of kin of the unfortunate event.

As per standard procedure, the LAPD's Force Investigation Division (FID) was called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding the in-custody death. They had already responded to the MDC and are set to thoroughly look into the incident. The findings of this investigation are yet to be made public, leaving questions that must urgently be answered and possibly can to light shed on what truly happened from the moment Shaheen was detained to his untimely death.