Pubdate: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 Source: Montgomery Advertiser (AL) Copyright: 2003sThe Advertiser Co. Contact: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1088 DRUG SUSPECT DIES WITH BAG IN HIS THROAT DOTHAN -- A Dothan man suffocated on a small plastic bag believed to contain marijuana after fleeing police who were seeking to make an arrest, authorities said. Timothy Brooks, 19, was one of several people investigated by police Friday after a complaint that drugs were being sold on a Dothan street, police Chief John White said. After vice officers determined the individuals were selling drugs, White said, the officers identified themselves and the group of suspects fled. White said police chased Brooks for about three blocks and had nearly caught him when he tripped and fell. They handcuffed him, then he complained that he was having trouble breathing, White said. The officers called paramedics, but Brooks stopped breathing before they arrived, White said. Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd said paramedics were unable to revive Brooks and he was pronounced dead at Southeast Alabama Medical Center. Byrd said the cause of death was asphyxiation due to a bag lodging in the throat. Forensics investigators found a plastic bag containing a "green, leafy substance" in Brooks' esophagus, White said. Tests will be done to determine whether the substance was marijuana, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens