California man dies after competing in taco-eating contest

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a man died shortly after competing in a taco-eating contest in Fresno. 

Fresno Sheriff spokesman Tony Botti says 41-year-old Dana Hutchings, of Fresno, died Tuesday night shortly after arriving at a hospital.

Botti says an autopsy on Hutchings will be done to determine a cause of death. It was not immediately known how many tacos the man had eaten.

The contest was held at Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno, the park is home to a minor league baseball team. 

Tuesday night’s competition allowed amateurs to qualify for Saturday’s World Taco Eating Championship to be held at Fresno’s annual Taco Truck Throwdown.

During the 2018 Taco Eating Championship in Fresno, professional eater Geoff Esper downed 73 tacos in eight minutes.