The Columbus Dispatch
A man died last night after police officers used a Taser on him and wrestled him inside a Downtown hotel.
Columbus police were investigating the incident, which began at 9:24 p.m. inside the Columbus, a Renaissance Hotel, 50 N. 3rd St.
The man, whose name wasn’t released, had assaulted a hotel security guard after refusing to leave Bar 41, a bar in the lobby that faces 3rd Street, police said.
Officers who responded to the scene tried to arrest the man, who resisted. One officer used the Taser on the man, but it didn’t stop him, said Sgt. Kevin Corcoran, Police Division spokesman.
Officers grabbed the man, forced him down and placed him in handcuffs, Corcoran said.
At that time, the man went into cardiac arrest, he said. He was taken by ambulance to Grant Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
None of the officers’ names were released last night.
The man appeared to be in his 30s or early 40s and swung a cane at a security guard, said witnesses inside the hotel lobby.
The city’s critical incident response unit, a special team of homicide detectives, was called to the hotel. That’s a routine step, Corcoran said, in any investigation where police use of force results in a death.
Findings will be turned over to a grand jury to determine whether any criminal charges should be filed, he said.
Copyright 2006 The Columbus Dispatch
All Rights Reserved