A New York City man arrested for shoplifting died in custody Friday morning, three days after his arrest while awaiting his arraignment.
Soso Ramishvili, 32, was found deceased inside a holding cell in the Kings County Criminal Court building in Brooklyn at around 8:30 a.m.
The detainee was arrested on March 18 for allegedly trying to steal about $213 worth of power tools and other goods from Home Depot.
“Earlier today, we were notified that a person, who had been arrested on charges of a low-level crime, passed away in NYPD custody at Kings County Criminal Court,”
The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services said in a statement.
“This person, who should have been granted a desk appearance and released based on the offense, languished in pain in custody for three days and was deprived of medical care despite repeated pleas from defense lawyers and other personnel to secure them needed care. This level of indifference is unconscionable.”
Ramishvili should have been issued a desk-appearance ticket and released under New York City law that requires people to be arraigned within 24 hours after their arrest.
