Watsonville Man 'Brain Dead' After Being Punched In The Head

WATSONVILLE, CA — Police arrested a man suspected of delivering a fatal punch to another man at a fast food restaurant in Watsonville this month, according to the Watsonville Police Department. Police believe the incident was a "random act of violence," officials said Tuesday.

Officers were dispatched to a fast food restaurant on the 100 block of Main Street Dec. 2 after receiving reports that a fight between two men had left one lying on the ground. Police arrived to find the victim unconscious with a severe head injury.

The suspect, Jose Figueroa Gonzalez, 30, quickly fled the area in a vehicle.

Gonzalez was charged with voluntary manslaughter and saddled with other assault-related charges, police said. He appeared in court Tuesday morning but was released from custody on $50,000 posted bail.

As Gonzalez left the scene, the victim, 43, was transported to a nearby trauma center and remain in intensive care for several days before he was taken to Stanford Hospital. There, he was declared brain dead.

"Surveillance video at the scene captured the single deadly punch being thrown by Figueroa and the victim immediately collapsing," police wrote in a news release.

Detectives recovered evidence from the scene and processed by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Forensics Unit. The evidence ultimately led officers to Figueroa's front door, where he was arrested.

Police said he cooperated with detectives and was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail.

An autopsy performed this week revealed that the Watsonville victim died from the punch, which delivered blunt force to the head.

Police said the incident "ended tragically. "

The victim's name was not immediately released.