Man Who Struggled With Police Dies After Swallowing Rock Cocaine

A man whom police officers subdued with pepper spray and hand and ankle restraints died Saturday after he swallowed nuggets of rock cocaine, authorities said.

The 34-year-old man, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, died shortly after police responded to a 911 call in Van Nuys about 10 a.m., Los Angeles Police Officer Sharyn Michelson said.

Officers arrived at the El Cortez Motel in the 5700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard and were told that a couple were fighting inside a room, Michelson said. The officers ordered everyone out of the room, and a man and woman emerged.

They said another man who had swallowed several pieces of rock cocaine remained inside. The officers entered the room and found the man on the floor.

When the man resisted, police used cayenne pepper spray to momentarily disable him, Michelson said. Once outside the room, the man continued to struggle, so the officers placed “cord cuffs” around his ankles.

The officers called paramedics and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation after the man stopped breathing, Michelson said. Paramedics took him to Valley Presbyterian Hospital, where he could not be revived.