Monday, August 17, 2026
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Riverside Sued Over Death of Man in Custody
Action Is Grounded on Information and Belief, Plus Inference Based on Other In-Custody Fatalities
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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DARYL FLOOD decedent |
A civil rights action has been brought in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Riverside County and Sheriff Chad Bianco based on the death of man who was held on a probation or parole violation, with the widow and minor children alleging fault on the part of defendants based on the decedent having succumbed while in custody, coupled with an inference drawn from the frequency of such occurrences.
The complaint, filed Thursday, acknowledges a dearth of information as to the circumstances of the death of Daryl Flood, 36, on Aug. 17, 2025. It quotes from a press release issued by the Riverside Sheriff’s Office (“RSO”) on the day of the death, saying that “at 3:22 a.m., deputies from the Cois Byrd Detention Center were alerted to an inmate having a medical emergency in a booking area cell” and reciting that “[c]ustody staff and jail medical personnel immediately responded and administered emergency medical assistance.”
It continues:
“Paramedics responded to the Cois Byrd Detention Center, and the inmate was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
“At the hospital, the inmate’s health continued to decline. Hospital medical staff performed life-saving measures. However, his condition did not improve, and he was ultimately pronounced deceased by attending hospital physicians.”
Lack of Facts
The complaint was filed by Pasadena attorney John Burton, who specializes in representing plaintiffs in cases alleging police misconduct, and by downtown Los Angeles lawyer Thomas C. Seabaugh, who also handles cases in which public officials are sued. It sets forth:
“Plaintiffs have attempted to learn more about the circumstances of Decedent’s passing prior to filing this litigation, but their counsel’s California Public Records Act requests to the RSO and the Riverside County District Attorney have generated no substantive responses to date, and the autopsy report is not available. The following allegations are based on the meager facts presently available to Plaintiffs, and are alleged to their best information and belief. Plaintiffs anticipate amending this complaint based on the results of discovery.”
The plaintiffs seek general and special damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
Allegations of Complaint
The pleading alleges:
“Plaintiffs are informed and believe that Daryl Flood’s death was proximately caused by the willful acts of agents and employees of the County and RSO, including Does 1 to 10, and the deliberate indifference of the County, Sheriff Chad Bianco and their agents and employees, including Does 1 to 10, to the health and safety of inmates in the Riverside County Jail system, where policies implemented to protect inmates are ignored without consequences to the staff. Prior to 2022, the County averaged about seven jail deaths annually. In 2022, however, there were 19 jail deaths and in 2023 another 14. Fifteen jail deaths were reported in 2024, and eight jail deaths were reported in 2025. So far in 2026 at least six jail deaths have been reported.
“This number of jail deaths is extraordinary, ‘industry-leading’ in a negative sense. The result has been the opening of an investigation by the California Department of Justice, which is ongoing.”
The complaint notes that Flood was a drug addict and accuses the defendants of “[f]ailing to adequately screen incoming inmates for medical conditions, including substance abuse and potential overdose, and failing to take adequate steps to protect their safety when in RSO custody.”
The case is Flood v. Riverside County, 5:26cv4578.
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