Surprise man slits his own throat after officer Tasers him
by Lisa Halverstadt - Nov. 3, 2009 03:00 PM
The Arizona Republic
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Surprise (AZ) police deployed a Taser on a man early Tuesday as he held a knife on a Surprise street. The man then slit his own throat and died, authorities said.
An officer had stopped the 43-year-old man as he drove in a neighborhood near 163rd Avenue and Jomax Road hours after he was reportedly involved in a domestic-violence incident, said Sgt. Mark Ortega, a Surprise police spokesman.
When the man displayed a large kitchen knife, the officer asked him to drop his weapon. When he did not, the officer used the Taser, Ortega said.
At the same time, the man was holding a knife to his throat. He cut himself across the neck, Ortega said.
Other officers responded to the scene just after 2:40 a.m. and police attempted to provide care before firefighters arrived.
The Surprise man was airlifted to John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital where he was soon pronounced dead, said Kevin Pool, assistant fire chief in Surprise.
Police had planned to speak to the man about the domestic-violence incident but could not provide additional details about the case, Ortega said.
The spokesman said detectives are investigating the death.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/11/03/20091103gl-nwvsuicide1103-ON.html
Wow.