A 69-year-old man arrested by the Kanagawa Prefectural Police died Friday after apparently stuffing an undergarment into his mouth and covering it with his hands, police said.
The police are treating the man's death as a case of suspected suicide.
According to police sources, an officer at Uraga police station found the unemployed man on the floor of the detention center at around 6 p.m. He was rushed to a hospital in Yokosuka where he was pronounced dead.
The man, whose name has been withheld, was arrested Wednesday for not paying a restaurant bill. It is not clear whether he had prior contact with the police before his arrest.
The police said they will investigate the circumstance behind the death and make sure detentions are conducted properly.