Tests to determine cause of death of man who struggled with police

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 9:17 a.m.

The cause of death for the 51-year-old, whose name was not immediately released, was unknown.

"We won't know how the suspect died until completion of both an autopsy and toxicology tests," Las Vegas police Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

Two patrol officers were called to the apartment complex at 3:26 p.m. after a neighbor of the 51-year-old told police the man was acting in a bizarre manner, Petersen said.

"She said he was going crazy, that he was being very unruly and had threatened her," Petersen said. "Apparently he had threatened to kill her before."

The two patrol officers, whose names were not released, arrived and were approached by the suspect as they sat in their patrol car at the corner of the complex parking lot.

"It appeared he was trying to get into the car," Petersen said.

The officers got out of their vehicle, and the man retreated to his first-floor apartment. Petersen said the officers went to the apartment and were trying to take the man into custody when he started to struggle. They attempted to handcuff the man but were unable to do so.

One of the officers then sprayed the suspect in the face with pepper spray, and the man was handcuffed. The officers pulled the man from the apartment and asked paramedics to wash the pepper spray from his eyes.

"When medical got here, he suddenly quit breathing," Petersen said.

The man was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, where he died at 4:25 p.m.

Petersen said that the body had no visible signs of trauma and that the Police Department was investigating the case as an in-custody death.

"There is nothing to indicate force used by officers (caused the death,)" Petersen said. "At this point, the cause of death could be anything from natural to undetermined."