Belligerent Man Dies in Police Custody

Los Angeles: A 53-year-old man died at a local hospital after being transported by paramedics.

On February 16, 2008, at around 9:40 a.m., North Hollywood Area patrol officers responded to a Fire Department assistance call in the 11300 block of Camarillo Street at a methadone clinic. Patrol officers assisted the firemen with Eddie Scott, who was lying on a bathroom floor, incoherent, belligerent, and unable to get up, because he had an amputated leg and had not taken his medication. Officers managed to carry Scott and place him onto a gurney.

Scott continued to be aggressive and violent, and tried to get off the gurney after being placed on soft restraints by the firemen, consequently Officer Bryan Hoefler and Officer Franklin Geraty handcuffed Scott’s hands to each side of the gurney to prevent him from breaking free. A rescue ambulance transported Scott to a local hospital.

Once at the hospital, the officers removed the handcuffs and the emergency room personnel treated Scott for his medical condition. Scott failed to respond to his treatment and was pronounced dead by the attending physician.

The cause of death is unknown, pending an autopsy by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Force Investigation Division personnel are investigating this incident as an In-Custody Death.