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