A former UCLA graduate student was found dead in his cell at the Union Avenue Detention Facility in New Haven, Conn. last week, after he was taken into custody by the New Haven Police Department following a domestic dispute.
The cause of Samuel See’s death is still under investigation, according to a statement from the New Haven Police Department.
New Haven police brought See, 34, to their station just after 9 p.m. on Nov. 23 after they received a call from See’s residence regarding a domestic dispute, according to the statement. He was found unresponsive in a cell at the station at 6 a.m. the next morning.
See received a doctoral degree in English at UCLA in 2009. At the time of his death, he was a Yale University assistant English and American studies professor who was on leave this semester.
See’s husband, Saunder Ganglani, 32, went to See’s home on Nov. 23 to gather his belongings even though See placed a protective order – a court order to protect a person from an individual who has harassed them – on Ganglani.
Police arrived at See’s home that evening and charged Ganglani with violating See’s protective order, according to the statement. See and Ganglani were in the house for two and a half hours before police arrived, the statement said.
At the scene, officers told See that Ganglani also had a protective order against him and that See had violated it. The police arrested and handcuffed See while he resisted physically, yelling that it was his house and he should not be arrested, according to the statement.
As police led him out of the house to the police car, See yelled, “I will kill you… I will destroy you,” to one of the officers who was arresting him.
See was charged with interfering with police activity, threatening in the second degree and violating a protective order.
See sustained a cut above his eye from the incident, and emergency medical services transported See by ambulance to the Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment. See was released into police custody after receiving medical attention, and officers moved him to the Union Avenue Detention Facility.
Judicial Marshals at the facility found See unresponsive in the early morning on Nov. 24. They provided CPR until the New Haven Fire and Rescue relieved them.
See’s family held a memorial service for him on Sunday in Bakersfield, Calif.
Compiled by Yael Levin, Bruin senior staff.