from cnn.com
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/12/03/died.in.custody/index.html
New tape: Arrestee danced, marched around restaurant
Coroner's office says suspect suffered no internal injuries
Wednesday, December 3, 2003 Posted: 5:26 AM EST (1026 GMT)
CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- New video released Tuesday showed a man who died shortly after a violent confrontation with police dancing and marching around a restaurant and in the parking lot before officers arrived on the scene.
The video, shot from inside and outside the White Castle restaurant, showed Nathaniel Jones greeting a friend inside the restaurant early Sunday morning, and then dancing briefly. He then went into the parking lot, where he continued to dance and march like a soldier.
Later, he fell down and rolled down a hill. Restaurant employees called the fire department at 5:45 a.m. to report his bizarre behavior.
The tape also shows another view of the altercation with police, and Jones is seen lunging at one officer, as he is on the squad car dashboard videotape.
Jones, who weighed 350 pounds, died at a hospital shortly after police beat him with metal nightsticks to subdue him. The Hamilton County Coroner's office said Monday an autopsy showed Jones, 41, had an enlarged heart and had cocaine and PCP, or angel dust, in his system. An official cause of death is expected to be issued Wednesday.
The coroner's office on Tuesday said Jones had bruises on his legs but no sign of injuries to his internal organs.
In a statement, the coroner said Jones had linear bruises on his right calf, right thigh, right buttock and right lower back, but "there was no evidence of transmission of force to internal organs."
Jones had "a markedly enlarged heart, consistent with hypertensive heart disease," a coroner's statement said Monday.
Police later found about a third of a gram of powdered cocaine and two cigarettes dipped in PCP, or "angel dust," in Jones' car, the coroner's office said Tuesday. Preliminary tests showed the presence of both in Jones' system.
"Each of these drugs is a central nervous system stimulant and has been associated in some cases with bizarre and violently aggressive behavior," the statement said. The toxicology report will show exactly how much of each substance was in Jones' system.
The case has stirred fears in the Ohio metropolis, where the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in 2001 sparked three nights of rioting.
The police, the FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are gathering information on the incident.
Police have placed the six officers involved on administrative leave, as is standard in cases where a suspect dies in police custody. The Citizen Complaint Authority, created after the 2001 riots, also is looking into the incident.
Police chief defends officers
Meanwhile Tuesday, Cincinnati's police chief said a police cruiser video camera that recorded the incident indicates the officers acted properly.
Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. said, "Officers came under attack. At one point, they're defending themselves. At another point, a transition is made to where they are trying to arrest a person for a felony act of violence. ... Certainly, the standard for use of force in the United States is that the officers can use force to defend themselves and/or to overcome resistance to arrest. (CNN Access: Cincinnati police chief)
"These things take a tremendous toll on the officers," Streicher said, noting the widespread media attention.
The video camera was rolling when police got to the scene, but there was a brief gap in the tape.
Streicher said the camera automatically shuts off when the police cruisers are parked. That's done to avoid the running down the car's battery.
The camera can be turned on by a remote control on an officer's belt, and that's what might have happened as the situation escalated.
"If so, I think it was a very wise decision on the part of the officers," he said.
Police recount incident
The incident began at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, when the manager of a White Castle restaurant called the Cincinnati Fire Department to report that a man was unconscious on the floor.
Police gave this account:
When paramedics arrived, they found Jones and a woman who was with him, who was also in some sort of medical distress. Jones then regained consciousness, began acting strangely and left the restaurant.
At that point, following standard procedure, the fire officials called police.
A police videotape shows a squad car arriving at the restaurant at 5:58 a.m., at which point the recording device was switched off. (Account of video)
During the next few moments, which are not visible on tape, the two officers from the squad car approached Jones in the parking lot of the restaurant.
The tape resumes rolling at 6 a.m. An officer is heard saying to Jones, "You gotta tell me what's going on."
Jones then says, "White boy, redneck," and the tape shows him lunging at the officer and attempting to put him in a headlock.
At that point, the two officers -- both of whom are white -- wrestle Jones to the ground and use their metal nightsticks, appearing to strike him around the shoulders and torso numerous times and yelling repeatedly, "Put your hands behind your back!"
Soon after, four more officers arrive, including one black officer, and an apparent reference to pepper spray is heard on the tape.
The view of Jones, who is being subdued on the pavement in front of the squad car, is obscured from the camera, which is mounted on the dash.
At this point, what sounds like "Help!" is heard coming repeatedly from the pile of men. It becomes progressively fainter with each utterance.
A few minutes later, one officer asks for paramedics.
"He's got a pulse; he's just not breathing," the man says of Jones.
Jones was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
