Suspected burglar dies after El Paso police use taser to subdue him
EL PASO, Texas -- The death of a suspected burglar after El Paso police officers used a stun gun to subdue him is under investigation by state and local authorities, officials said Tuesday.
Police said the 40–year-old man, whose name was not released, broke into a closed business in the 3600 block of Buckner Street on Monday evening.
Officers arrived and said they chased the man in the building, finally catching him but then struggling to put handcuffs on the suspect - so a taser was used to get the man under control.
A police incident report indicates that as the man was being escorted outside the store to a waiting police cruiser, he collapsed and then later died at a local hospital.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers are investigating the in-custody death, officials said. The El Paso Police Department's Crimes Against Persons detectives and the Internal Affairs unit are also looking into suspect's death following the use of the taser.