strongernow
05-20-2004, 12:48 PM
Atlanta man dies in police custody; overdose suspected
The Associated Press - LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.
An Atlanta man, who died in the back seat of a Gwinnett County police car, may have choked to death on a bag of cocaine he tried to swallow, authorities said.
Dexter Deanthony Grier, 24, was taken into custody early Wednesday after a traffic stop in Norcross. The officer suspected Grier was intoxicated.
After the officer handcuffed Grier and put him in the back seat of the patrol car, the officer started a routine inventory of Grier's car.
When he returned, the suspect was "sweating profusely and becoming unresponsive," police Cpl. Dan Huggins said.
Grier was taken to Dunwoody Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Emergency room personnel removed a plastic bag containing cocaine from Grier's throat.
"We don't know whether the drugs got into his system or the whether the bag got lodged in his throat," Huggins said.
The Associated Press - LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.
An Atlanta man, who died in the back seat of a Gwinnett County police car, may have choked to death on a bag of cocaine he tried to swallow, authorities said.
Dexter Deanthony Grier, 24, was taken into custody early Wednesday after a traffic stop in Norcross. The officer suspected Grier was intoxicated.
After the officer handcuffed Grier and put him in the back seat of the patrol car, the officer started a routine inventory of Grier's car.
When he returned, the suspect was "sweating profusely and becoming unresponsive," police Cpl. Dan Huggins said.
Grier was taken to Dunwoody Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Emergency room personnel removed a plastic bag containing cocaine from Grier's throat.
"We don't know whether the drugs got into his system or the whether the bag got lodged in his throat," Huggins said.