By Wyatt Buchanan
The San Francisco Chronicle
A man who died in the custody of San Francisco police last month choked on a bag of crack cocaine he swallowed during an arrest, police said Monday.
Herbert Tyrone Watt, 42, died Jan. 18 after a traffic stop in the Ingleside Heights neighborhood. Watt, a parolee, was driving a car without license plates, and police found a baggie of crack cocaine in his pocket during a search. Officers placed the drugs on the hood of the car, but before they handcuffed Watt he grabbed the bag and swallowed it, police said.
The officers tried to get Watt to spit out the baggie, but he went limp and was taken to Seton Medical Center in Daly City where he died, police said.
The San Mateo County coroner’s office investigated and determined that Watt had choked to death, said Sgt. Steve Mannina, a police spokesman.
A spokeswoman for the coroner refused to comment and referred questions to police.
Copyright 2007 San Francisco Chronicle
All Rights Reserved