Honolulu Police Internal Affairs investigators are looking into why a man died after police officers used pepper spray to subdue him yesterday. Suspect’s death after pepper
spray stirs inquiry
By Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comAccording to police, at about 3:30 p.m., the suspect allegedly had broken into a woman's car at 2123 Date St. and was somehow locked inside the vehicle by the car's owner.
"I think she had an electronic lock but I don't know how he couldn't get out," said HPD Internal Affairs Lt. Michael Tanaka. "(But) he was agitated that he couldn't get out and he was pounding to get out of the car."
Police then said two HPD patrol officers came and tried talking to the suspect to calm him down before they let him out. However, police said, the suspect continued to be agitated so the officers opened one of the car doors and sprayed pepper spray to subdue him.
"They got him out the vehicle, they cuffed him and they were going to arrest him," said Tanaka. "They sat him upright and he started foaming at the mouth and he went into what they thought was cardiac arrest."
Tanaka said the officers on scene then started to perform CPR on the suspect and called for an ambulance. The suspect died later at the Queen's Medical Center.
As with most internal affairs cases, the police officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
Tanaka said whether or not the pepper spray played a part in the suspect's death remains unknown.
"We don't know at this time because we don't have any toxicology report. ... At this point in time it's too early to say what contributed to his going into cardiac arrest."
