The naked man who allegedly was carrying his infant son and caused a chaotic scene Aug. 2 at the Longhouse Restaurant on Monterey Street in Gilroy has died.
John Ruiz, 42 of Los Banos, spent a week at a local hospital in critical condition, and was reported dead to the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office on Aug. 8.
Had he lived, he would have faced charges for child endangerment, possession of methamphetamine, resisting arrest and for being under the influence of a stimulant drug, according to the Gilroy Police Department.
The morning of the incident, Ruiz wandered into the restaurant, swinging his baby around in a way that made other patrons worry for the baby’s life, according to Gilroy Police Sgt. Royce Heath.
“It was a dynamic scene, things were moving pretty quickly,” Heath said.
Concerned for the life of the 6-month-old boy being jostled around in Ruiz’ arms, patrons of the Longhouse Restaurant wrangled the baby away from its father and pinned an aggressive Ruiz to the ground, Heath said. Citizens held Ruiz to the ground until police arrived.
Police arrived at the restaurant at 10:20 a.m. and attempted to restrain Ruiz when he began to have a heart attack. Ruiz was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
GPD, the Gilroy Fire Department, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department and emergency medical personnel responded to the incident.
Gilroy police officers used pepper spray to subdue Ruiz, but he continued to resist arrest, Heath said. Medical personnel provided care to Ruiz at the scene, but due to the severity of his condition, he was taken to the hospital.
The mother of the infant was located in the restaurant and questioned, and the GPD may pursue charges for her as well. The baby was also examined at the hospital, but was uninjured and released into the custody of the Santa Clara County Department of Social Services. Stanley Lee, county Social Services policy manager is looking out to ensure the safety of the baby, although Lee would not comment on any specifics regarding this case.
“Less than 5 percent of calls we respond to, only the more serious ones, do we remove children from the home. A lot of times the situation stabilizes, we can return the child to the home, or find a relative for immediate placement,” Lee said.
