A male suspect died Tuesday, April 7, after being detained by Yonkers police officers following an alleged attack on multiple people inside an apartment, according to police.
The Yonkers Police Department said in a statement on Facebook on April 8 that officers responded to the scene of 165 Bruce Ave., where a witness said a male suspect was attacking several people and was armed with a knife.
Police said the alleged assault was still ongoing when officers responded to the scene. Yonkers police said officers initially deployed a Taser, which was ineffective at subduing the suspect. A second Taser was also deployed but unsuccessful. Officers then said they moved in to stop the attack “without escalating force” and put the suspect into handcuffs.
After the suspect was handcuffed, police said he became unresponsive. Officers and emergency medical personnel administered medical aid and the suspect was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police said the name of the suspect is being withheld pending family notifications.
How Yonkers assault suspect’s death is being investigated
The Yonkers Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and the New York State Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the death of the suspect.
Yonkers police said preliminary investigation determined that the suspect was allegedly using drugs with a friend before violently attacking two different victims. Police based that preliminary finding on a review of victim statements, witness statements, and body-worn camera video.
The victims of the alleged attacks sustained significant injuries, including bite wounds and blunt-force trauma from strikes with household objects, including a frying pan and a metal stovetop grate, police said, adding one of the victims also sustained a laceration consistent with a sharp instrument.
The preliminary investigation, police said, also determined that the only force used by officers on the scene were the two unsuccessful Taser deployments. Yonkers police said no physical strikes or impact weapons were used.
The suspect’s cause of death is still under investigation. According to Yonkers police, there is currently no indication that police actions were the cause of the suspect’s death.
However, an autopsy revealed that several underlying medical conditions were found, which could have contributed to the death, police said, adding that toxicology results are pending.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Assault suspect dies after Yonkers police use tasers while detaining him
Reporting by Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
