Emotionally Disturbed Man Dies After Cops Use Taser In Bronx Altercation
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 49-year-old man died Wednesday night after police used a Taser on him twice, according to authorities.
Police were called to 1840 Mayflower Avenue in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, around 5:30 p.m. The caller said an emotionally disturbed man threatened him with a knife.
Police said that when the three officers and a sergeant arrived, Ariel Galarza threatened them with a broken bottle.
A sergeant deployed his Taser and tried to handcuff Galarza, but he resisted, a police source said. The sergeant used his Taser again, and the man went into cardiac arrest and officers performed CPR, the source said.
Galarza was rushed to Einstein Hospital where he died.
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, just three weeks ago the NYPD came under fire when an officer used a gun to subdue Deborah Danner, an emotionally disturbed woman in the Bronx. Police said she confronted them swinging a baseball bat. She died after being shot.
The officers involved were criticized for their use of force.
Ed Mullins the President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association reacted to Wednesday night's incident.
"I think that this case just goes to prove how wrong the commissioner was, the chief of patrol was to make the determination that we should have done 'A' and not the choice that we made, because here is what still could occur," he said.
Mullins said he is calling for more training for officers in these ever evolving situations.
This incident is being investigated by the Force Investigation Division pending determination of the cause of death.