By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- A man fatally shot himself while handcuffed in the back of a San Antonio Police Department patrol car.
- The incident occurred after a vehicle pursuit and arrest on the North Side of San Antonio on March 19, 2026.
- Officers had placed the suspect in the vehicle when he accessed his own firearm and died at the scene.
- San Antonio police say they do not yet know how the suspect obtained the weapon.
- The San Antonio Police Department has placed the responding officers on administrative leave and is investigating.
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A man died after fatally shooting himself while handcuffed in the back of a San Antonio Police Department patrol vehicle following a pursuit on March 19, authorities said.
San Antonio police responded to a report of a vehicle with mismatched license plates on the city’s South Side and pursued it to the North Side before apprehending the driver, Police Chief William McManus said.
Officers placed the suspect in the rear of a patrol car, and shortly afterward he accessed a firearm and shot himself in the head, according to the department. No gunfire was initially heard by the officers, and they were unable to save him at the scene.
SAPD said it is unclear how the man had a weapon while handcuffed and that both responding officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
The department has identified the officers as having four and five years of service, and SAPD officials said this is the first in-custody death for the agency in 2026.
Investigators continue to review body-worn camera footage and other evidence as part of the ongoing inquiry.