By Neil Harvey
The Roanoke Times
PATRICK COUNTY, Va. — A Patrick Springs man died Sunday morning shortly after being arrested, Virginia State Police reported.
According to spokesman Sgt. Bob Carpentieri, the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a man wearing no shoes walking in the middle of U.S. 58 near Skipper’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant about 9:20 a.m.
Patrick County Sheriff Garry Brown said a state trooper answered the call and was the first on the scene.
The trooper located the person -- later identified as Robert Leonard Hall, 58. Carpentieri said that Hall, when confronted, reportedly stepped into the roadway and pulled his pants down.
When the officer attempted to arrest Hall, Carpentieri said, Hall resisted. A passing motorist stopped and helped the trooper handcuff the subject, he said.
According to Carpentieri, the trooper and the motorist noticed that Hall’s arm was turning blue and Hall reportedly went into cardiac arrest not long afterward. The trooper performed CPR on Hall and called for the rescue squad.
Hall was taken to R.J. Reynolds Patrick County Memorial Hospital in Stuart and was pronounced dead later in the day, Carpentieri said
The officer’s name is not being released and Carpentieri said he did not know the name of the driver who stopped to assist the officer. Brown said the driver was from Patrick County.
Brown also said the sheriff’s office had dealings with Hall in the past, but would not comment on the circumstances.
The incident is being investigated by the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Copyright The Roanoke Times