 |
|
|
|
|
Police say alcohol and drugs were to blame for man's death
Willow Glen man was pronounced dead at scene of July 1 struggle
By Chantal Lamers
Police say preliminary results from an autopsy state that a Willow Glen man, who died while struggling with police on July 1, had a mix of alcohol and several drugs in his blood when he died.
San Jose police responded to a domestic disturbance call from the Almaden Terrace Apartments at 2118 Conoas Gardens Ave., in Willow Glen, just after 9 a.m. that day.
Police struggled to put 41-year-old truck driver Shaheed Jamal Daniels into handcuffs, then placed a device called a "wrap" around his legs, waist and shoulders to stop him from struggling and kicking.
When police placed the wrap on Daniels' legs, they noticed he had no pulse. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Daniels was the first to die in the custody of San Jose police this year.
Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Dixon said it will probably be six weeks until the coroner officially determines the cause of Daniels' death. Dixon said police don't think Daniels' death was a result of his being put in the wrap.
Dixon said the wrap device isn't used often by San Jose police. The department owns about 45, Dixon said, and they are only carried in by patrol sergeants.
San Jose Police began using the "wrap" device in December 1998. The switch to the wrap device was prompted after the death of sexual assault suspect Branndon Auger in September 1998.
Officers restrained Auger using the Total Appendage Restraint Procedure (TARP) and hobble control technique. Later, Dixon said, the coroner determined TARP had nothing to do with the suspect's death--rather it was mostly due to a mix of drugs and alcohol.
But San Jose Police Chief Bill Lansdown called for an immediate review of the procedure.
TARP was a procedure that allowed police to hook the back of a suspect's legs to the handcuffs and transfer the suspect on their stomach. According to Dixon, critics said heavy suspects restrained by the TARP method could suffocate from lying on the weight of their own body.
Dixon said that suspects can walk, sit down or be transported on their side while they are in the wrap. He said it takes about four officers to apply a wrap and that police are trained to use the device. In addition, he said, the wrap is designed so that it doesn't stop suspects from breathing.
Dixon said the wrap is applied to suspects who continue to struggle after they've been handcuffed. Police wrap a nylon fabric around the suspect's legs and secure it with Velcro straps. Dixon said police also place a belt around the suspect's waist, then place a strap over each shoulder and hook each to the belt.
When police arrived at the July 1 incident, they escorted a women and two children, ages 12 and 1, from the apartment. The woman's head was bruised. She told police her husband was still inside the apartment and that he'd been drinking alcohol.
Police entered after about 30 minutes of unsuccessful negotiations to get Daniels out of the apartment and found him locked in the bathroom. Dixon said three officers struggled to put handcuffs on Daniels for about a minute and a half.
Anyone who has information about this case can call San Jose Police Homocide Investigators Sgt. Ernie Alcantar, or Sgt. Terry Simpson at 408.277.5283. Witnesses who wish to remain anonymous can call San Jose Police Crime Stoppers Program at 408.947.7867.
|
|
|
|
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
