Man Struggles With Officers, Dies
Pepper-Sprayed And Handcuffed, Man Stops Breathing

POSTED: 12:29 p.m. PDT August 21, 2005
UPDATED: 12:41 p.m. PDT August 21, 2005


Story by 10News.com

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Authorities Sunday identified a man who died while being restrained by police as a 32-year-old Carlsbad resident.

Alex Royal Majeska stopped breathing as police officers sought to restrain him following a struggle in which two officers were injured, Carlsbad police Lt. William Rowland said.

At about 2 p.m. Friday, police were sent to investigate a report of a man acting erratically in the 3500 block of Caminito Sierra, Rowland said.

The man had been following people and referring to himself as "God," Rowland said.

The man attacked officers, causing scrapes and cuts to the offices, Rowland said.

Though pepper-sprayed, the man continued to struggle with officers. After he was forced to the ground and handcuffed, officers noticed he had stopped breathing, according to a police report.

Officers performed CPR on the man, but he died at the scene, Rowland said.

The district attorney's office and the medical examiner's office are investigating the death, the lieutenant said.

The cause of death has not yet been determined, a medical examiner investigator said.

CPR? Yuck, pepper flavored hobo...

Happened in Allen, TX recently.

Can one go into anaphylactic shock from pepper spray?

yes you can , if you are allergic to the oleoresin capsicum.

w00t!

Quoted: Happened in Allen, TX recently....

Interesting.  I had never even heard of a fatal reaction to OC spray and now two in one week.

Peruvian Pepper Sprayed by U.S. Police Dies

DALLAS (AP) -- A Peruvian citizen who was doused with pepper spray during an altercation with police has died, his family said Friday.

Edgar A. Vera, 45, had been on life support since the Aug. 4 incident.

He was injured when he tried to resist arrest on an outstanding ticket for not wearing a seat belt, police in the northern Dallas suburb of Allen said.

Authorities said Vera stopped breathing after they used pepper spray to subdue him when he began struggling with officers. Officers tried to resuscitate Vera and took him to a hospital.

Vera family attorney Steve Salazar said as yet no lawsuit has been filed against the police. He plans to await autopsy results and medical records from the incident before deciding on whether to take legal action.

''We want to make sure we get all the information so we can understand what happened,'' Salazar said. ''We don't expect much cooperation from the Allen Police Department.''

Luis Pacchioni, a cousin of Vera's, said once the autopsy is complete, the family will hire its own doctors to perform an examination.

Vera, the father of two boys, was in Allen waiting outside another family member's house and minding his own business, relatives said.

Police, however, say they responded to a suspicious person call and, after arriving, learned that Vera had an outstanding warrant for a seatbelt violation.

''We are going to do everything possible through the courts to see that these officers respond to the law the way they were supposed to enforce it,'' Pacchioni said. ''They are carrying a badge and should be held to a higher standard.''

The confrontation, under investigation by the Texas Rangers and the FBI, has sparked outrage in Peru.

''What we are asking all Peruvians is to share our pain and also our petition for justice for Edgar,'' Amparo Morante, Vera's aunt, told CPN radio.

Jorge Lazaro, secretary of Peruvian Communities Abroad in the Foreign Ministry, said Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua had instructed Peru's ambassador to the United States to issue a diplomatic communique to Texas Gov. Rick Perry expressing the ''vivid interest of Peru's government that there be a transparent investigation and public report.''

The U.S. Embassy in Lima issued a statement offering condolences to Vera's family, saying his ''detention and the treatment'' by Allen police was under investigation ''to determine the possible violation of Mr. Vera's civil rights.''

Last week, 50 protesters stood outside the U.S. Embassy in Lima, many holding signs demanding justice such as ''Jail for U.S. Police. Criminals'' and ''Only a miracle can save Edgar Vera. We demand justice.''

Allen police, meanwhile, said the department has begun an internal investigation.

Luis Pacchioni, Vera's cousin, said Vera came to the United States when he was 21 and was a legal U.S. resident. He said Vera lived in Arlington with his two sons and his wife; he drove a delivery truck.

''This shouldn't happen to anybody, not an immigrant, not an American citizen,'' Pacchioni said last week. ''The police need to use force sometimes, but they need to use restraint also.''

He could have been on drugs or had a heart condition.  I'm curious to see what the coroner reports.

Quoted: Quoted: Happened in Allen, TX recently.... Interesting.  I had never even heard of a fatal reaction to OC spray and now two in one week. Peruvian Pepper Sprayed by U.S. Police Dies DALLAS (AP) -- A Peruvian citizen who was doused with pepper spray during an altercation with police has died, his family said Friday. Edgar A. Vera, 45, had been on life support since the Aug. 4 incident. He was injured when he tried to resist arrest on an outstanding ticket for not wearing a seat belt, police in the northern Dallas suburb of Allen said. Authorities said Vera stopped breathing after they used pepper spray to subdue him when he began struggling with officers. Officers tried to resuscitate Vera and took him to a hospital. Vera family attorney Steve Salazar said as yet no lawsuit has been filed against the police. He plans to await autopsy results and medical records from the incident before deciding on whether to take legal action. ''We want to make sure we get all the information so we can understand what happened,'' Salazar said. ''We don't expect much cooperation from the Allen Police Department.'' Luis Pacchioni, a cousin of Vera's, said once the autopsy is complete, the family will hire its own doctors to perform an examination. Vera, the father of two boys, was in Allen waiting outside another family member's house and minding his own business, relatives said. Police, however, say they responded to a suspicious person call and, after arriving, learned that Vera had an outstanding warrant for a seatbelt violation. ''We are going to do everything possible through the courts to see that these officers respond to the law the way they were supposed to enforce it,'' Pacchioni said. ''They are carrying a badge and should be held to a higher standard.'' The confrontation, under investigation by the Texas Rangers and the FBI, has sparked outrage in Peru. ''What we are asking all Peruvians is to share our pain and also our petition for justice for Edgar,'' Amparo Morante, Vera's aunt, told CPN radio. Jorge Lazaro, secretary of Peruvian Communities Abroad in the Foreign Ministry, said Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua had instructed Peru's ambassador to the United States to issue a diplomatic communique to Texas Gov. Rick Perry expressing the ''vivid interest of Peru's government that there be a transparent investigation and public report.'' The U.S. Embassy in Lima issued a statement offering condolences to Vera's family, saying his ''detention and the treatment'' by Allen police was under investigation ''to determine the possible violation of Mr. Vera's civil rights.'' Last week, 50 protesters stood outside the U.S. Embassy in Lima, many holding signs demanding justice such as ''Jail for U.S. Police. Criminals'' and ''Only a miracle can save Edgar Vera. We demand justice.'' Allen police, meanwhile, said the department has begun an internal investigation. Luis Pacchioni, Vera's cousin, said Vera came to the United States when he was 21 and was a legal U.S. resident. He said Vera lived in Arlington with his two sons and his wife; he drove a delivery truck. ''This shouldn't happen to anybody, not an immigrant, not an American citizen,'' Pacchioni said last week. ''The police need to use force sometimes, but they need to use restraint also.''

Blah, blah, blah.

Our PD had a fatal reaction to OC - shortly before I got hired, as a matter of fact.

The FD got called to a guy with "difficulty breathing" who was cuffed in the back of a car.

By the time they got there, he wasn't having difficulty breathing at all.

He just wasn't breathing.

The realatives of the deceased threatened a lawsuit, and found a shyster who wanted 33% of the millions retained a lawyer who would represent the downtrodden of society.

Of course, the several grams of rock cocaine the known and witnessed dealer perp innocent victim had ingested shortly before leading the PD on an extended chase that ended in a violent resisting of arrest  may  have had something to do with it.

The liability case was dropped - turns out the coke pumps up the bloodflow to the airway, and the OC really works well in an extra-vascular environment. Since OC hadn't been tested on near-lethal cocaine intoxicants, there was no way to know it's resultant effects. Coroner ruled he would have died from the rocks dissolving in his system if not the airway obstruction.


Of course, there was an upside to this tragedy...


For an all-too-brief while, all a responding officer had to do was take the OC off the belt, shake the can, and ask the perp YOU WANT SOME OF THIS? to get complete and total peaceful cooperation.

Since then, I've heard of several OC/cocaine intoxication fatalities.

So, it would not be a good idea to test that 5 year-old can of Fox pepper spray on myself?

I hate to just throw it away. Maybe save it for stray cats?

How long till the libs are crying for OC to not be used.

quote]Quoted:
So, it would not be a good idea to test that 5 year-old can of Fox pepper spray on myself?

I hate to just throw it away. Maybe save it for stray cats?





  Don't resist and you won't have to find out if your allergic to oleoresin capsicum.  Now he will find out who is god.

lot of people die everyday without being peppered sprayed.  The world turns............

Quoted: How long till the libs are crying for OC to not be used.

They tried back in the day.

Quoted: Quoted: How long till the libs are crying for OC to not be used. They tried back in the day.

Yep. Tazers are just the newest thing to bitch about in a long line.

In-cutody deaths that involved OC were all the rage about 7 years ago.  It was the Taser of that era.

There are only three ways that deaths are directly attriubitable to OC, and all are statisically miniscule.

Postitional Asphyxia.

Severe allergic reaction leading to anaphylatic shock.

Severe asthmatics leading to fatal respitory distress.

The majority of in-custody deaths in which OC was used are attributed to undiagnosed/untreated health conditions and/or the ingestion of alcohol/narcotics/stimulants prior to exposure to OC.

Just got done with one about 3 months ago.  Officer from an agency in my jurisdiction got into a fight with a felon wanted on warrants.  Ended-up OCing the guy.  Finally able to take him into custody upon arrival of assisiting units.  Guy was yelling and cussing at the officers while cuffed.  Then suddenly, went quiet.  Officers started CPR on the subject.  By the time the bus arrived, he'd coded out.

Results from ME - cardiac defect.  Family is going to sue the PD involved for Wrongful Death, going to sue DefTec and most likely me, since I was the outside expert brought in.


Sheep

This about to happen in Allen, TX

Dude fought with cops, they pepper sprayed him, cuffed him, and called for the ambulance.  The guy is pretty much brain dead.  His family said he fought because he is clostrophobic(sp?)  Its all bullshit

There was a hairy-pitted lady at my university that was passing out flyers about banning less-than-lethal weapons like OC and tazers because these "inhumane"devices can cause severe bodily harm, after someone at a local university went into a coma after being zapped by some troopers.

Kid came out alright btw, he was really hammered and swung at some LEO's.

Anyway, she handed it to me (actually she shoved in in my face and started talking a mile a minute) and I crumbled it up and threw it into her basket full of flyers. She got very belligerant, and I turned to her and said, "officers are just doing their jobs, they need to go home at night, and if you attack one, you've got a much better chance at making it home when they use a tazer than when they draw a real firearm and don't stop shooting until you stop twitching."

She kicked me in the shins.

Next time the cops should use restraint and beat him up with nightsticks instead.

Quoted: There was a hairy-pitted lady at my university that was passing out flyers about banning less-than-lethal weapons like OC and tazers because these "inhumane"devices can cause severe bodily harm, after someone at a local university went into a coma after being zapped by some troopers. Kid came out alright btw, he was really hammered and swung at some LEO's. Anyway, she handed it to me (actually she shoved in in my face and started talking a mile a minute) and I crumbled it up and threw it into her basket full of flyers. She got very belligerant, and I turned to her and said, "officers are just doing their jobs, they need to go home at night, and if you attack one, you've got a much better chance at making it home when they use a tazer than when they draw a real firearm and don't stop shooting until you stop twitching." She kicked me in the shins.

She assaulted you, should have called the cops on her!!!

Quoted: Quoted: There was a hairy-pitted lady at my university that was passing out flyers about banning less-than-lethal weapons like OC and tazers because these "inhumane"devices can cause severe bodily harm, after someone at a local university went into a coma after being zapped by some troopers. Kid came out alright btw, he was really hammered and swung at some LEO's. Anyway, she handed it to me (actually she shoved in in my face and started talking a mile a minute) and I crumbled it up and threw it into her basket full of flyers. She got very belligerant, and I turned to her and said, "officers are just doing their jobs, they need to go home at night, and if you attack one, you've got a much better chance at making it home when they use a tazer than when they draw a real firearm and don't stop shooting until you stop twitching." She kicked me in the shins. She assaulted you, should have called the cops on her!!!

You know if I had had some pepper spray...

One less wart on the ass of society...