Procession held for deputy who died after being found unresponsive at South LA station

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner is attempting Sunday to determine the cause of death of a sheriff's deputy who died on duty.

The South Los Angeles Sheriff's Station called for an ambulance around 9 p.m. Saturday regarding an "unresponsive deputy," according to the sheriff's department.

It's unclear if the deputy died at the scene or the hospital.

The department later identified him as Deputy Jonathan Stewart. He first joined the department as a custody assistant in 2006 and graduated from the academy the following year. He had been most recently working as a field training officer in South Los Angeles.

"Jonathan dedicated a decade serving the South Los Angeles community, he was respected and highly regarded by his peers and supervisors for his unwavering commitment," the department said.

Stewart is survived by his wife and three children.

A procession was held Saturday when the deputy's body was moved from the South Los Angeles Sheriff's Station in the unincorporated Athens area to the medical examiner's headquarters in Boyle Heights.

Dozens of patrol units lined the path of the procession Saturday night.

City News Service contributed to this report.