An emotionally disturbed Brooklyn man died of a heart attack after being Maced and Tasered by the police. A relative called the police when Blondel Lassegue was acting up at his uncle's house in Queens, saying he was depressed and delusional (he had recently gone off medication for bipolar disorder and depression, according to the Daily News).
The police had difficulty in restraining 38 year old Lassegue; when the Mace did not subdue Lassegue, they Tasered him. Lasssegue then had a heart attack and was pronounced dead at a Long Island Hospital. Four officers were injured and three were hospitalized with non-serious injuries.
A cousin, Chasma Gourgui, told the Daily News, "He wouldn't let anyone take him to the hospital - unless he was forced. That's why they called the cops, so they could take him." She added to the Post, "He went into cardiac arrest and they tried to resuscitate him. It's stunning and shocking that they should use a Taser if they don't know a person's medical history." Does anyone know what police procedure is when dealing with emotionally disturbed persons? There seems to be a fine line between "calming someone down" and using force, like Mace and Taser guns.
Lassegue, who graduated from Hunter College and was recently ordained as a minister through a church in Las Vegas, had been upset over the recent deaths of his mother and grandmother. Lassegue's family says they will be consulting with a lawyer.
