Dead man found inside police car at Azusa station may have been there for days

A dead body found inside a squad car parked at the Azusa Police Department may have been there for days, cops said.

The body was discovered Thursday afternoon in the back seat of an out‑of‑service patrol vehicle parked in front of the police station in downtown Azusa, according to Chief of Police Rocky Wenrick.

Azusa Police personnel were not aware the man had entered the vehicle, and he was not in the custody of the Azusa Police Department at the time he gained access, Wenrick said.

The man had been arrested on March 20 on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment, and released from custody on Monday, police told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

It was not immediately clear how he entered the vehicle or how long he’d been there before his body was found, according to the paper.

“We had no knowledge he got into a (police) car,” said Azusa Police Capt. Robert Landeros, according to the Tribune.

But a camera had recorded the man entering the backseat of the unlocked police car, Landeros said, the paper reported.

The vehicle was awaiting maintenance, which is a common practice as patrol units are regularly cycled in and out of service and new vehicles await equipment installation, said Wenrick.

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“The vehicle had been left unlocked, and it should have been secured,” Wenrick said.

Azusa police are conducting a criminal investigation into the incident, according to Wenrick.  

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the man’s cause of death, which remained unknown Friday.

 The Azusa Police Department retained an outside investigative firm to conduct an independent investigation into the entire incident, Wenrick said, including determining why the vehicle was not locked.