Man dies after medical emergency in police custody

BELLEVUE — A Bellevue man's death has raised questions about the use of a Taser in his arrest.Donald Young, 33, died Dec. 18 at the University of Toledo Medical Center days after he suffered a medical emergency while in police custody. Bellevue police said the arrest was conducted properly."We reviewed the incident," Bellevue police Chief Marc Linder said. "There were no violations in the Taser's use from our policy or the manufacturer's recommendations."Young's arrestOn Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, a Bellevue police officer approached Young because of warrants out for his arrest. Young allegedly fled. The officer cornered him near a garage, where Young wrestled with the officer on the ground, Linder said.The officer loosened his grip and let him sit up when Young said he couldn't breathe. But Young allegedly used the opportunity to break free and run, according to a police report.Another officer arrived and stopped him at Taser point. Linder said Young listened until they tried to handcuff him. To get him to comply, officers "drive stunned" him with a Taser.A drive stun is when the Taser is placed against a person, instead of using the prongs from a distance. It uses pain to get a person to comply instead of electrical pulses that cause loss of muscle control, according to Linder.The officer stunned Young several times with little effect, the report states. Young allegedly continued to struggle after he was handcuffed. Officers called an ambulance to check on Young to follow the department's policy and since he continued to be combative.He went into cardiac arrest as emergency responders checked on him, according to the report. They performed CPR and took him to the hospital.TaserThousands of law enforcement agencies use Tasers as a non-lethal means of subduing people deemed threats. Axon Enterprise Inc., Taser's parent company, says its product has saved more than 200,000 lives and deaths are rare anomalies.A Reuters' report, however, found more than 1,000 people died following the use of a Taser between 2000 and 2017. A 2014 study in the American Heart Association's Journal argued Tasers can lead to cardiac arrest.It's unknown what part, if any, the Taser played in Young's death, but Linder believes it's unlikely that it's the cause of the medical emergency."It wasn't a full Taser deployment," Linder said. "It could have been caused by a mixture of all kinds of things."Bellevue police, however, are waiting for the Lucas County coroner's autopsy report before putting the matter to rest."We will review it with the information we already have to make sure there's nothing wrong," Linder said. "An independent investigator will be brought in to review it."Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterDONALD ALLEN YOUNG