Michigan man dies after tasering

August 4, 2007

Steven Spears, 49, unarmed

According to police, Spears was seen running through traffic wearing only his underwear and socks. Police called for an ambulance because officers believed the man was having psychiatric problems. But when paramedics arrived, he broke away and ran into traffic. Officers caught up with him and used the taser when he continued to struggle with them, according to the release. Spears lost consciousness after he was struck by the taser. He was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

On September 12, 2007, the Oakland County Medical Examiner concluded that the cause of death was "cocaine induced excited delirium," with phyical restraint as a contributing factor. Shelby Township police said the medical examiner ruled the death as accidental. The report was forwarded to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, which is conducting an independent investigation.

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic conducted the autopsy Aug. 4, and on Sept. 20, after getting a toxicology report that showed Spears had one milligram of cocaine in his system, Dragovich determined Spears died of cocaine-induced delirium. Dragovich determined that Spears' death was accidental, but said the Tasers were a contributing factor.