A man died in police custody last night after an altercation outside a Bronx bodega.
The Post identifies the man as 52-year-old Jose Muniz, and claims that Muniz placed a quantity of drugs in his mouth after he was approached by an NYPD sergeant and a plainclothes detective. A witness told ABC that police used pepper spray on Muniz: "They sprayed him with mace to calm him, and they kept asking him to let go of what was in his mouth, and he still refused. At that point, one of the officers winded up pushing his head down to the floor repeatedly and stepping on his back." The witness said Muniz lost consciousness at the scene and officers began performing CPR.
An NYPD spokesman refused to provide any details surrounding the incident, citing an ongoing investigation, but confirmed that police responded to a call outside a convenience store at 3598 Jerome Avenue, and that the man died in police custody after being transported to Bronx North Central. An FDNY spokesman told us the victim was dead on arrival.
The Post reports that Muniz has over 30 prior arrests for drugs, weapons, and burglary, among other charges.
[UPDATE]The Daily News reports that Muniz died tried to swallow a bag of cocaine. "We believe he took a golf ball-sized packet of cocaine and put it into his mouth," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters. "There was a struggle."
