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Man's Death Ruled Homicide Due To NYPD "Protective Body Wrap"
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 30, 2014
Modified Aug 30, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 30, 2014
Modified Aug 30, 2014
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Seven weeks after a 45-year-old man died while being transported to the hospital, the NYC Medical Examiner determined he had been on PCP and his death was a homicide caused by the police, due to a "protective body wrap." The police say they put him in the wrap because he was "combative."
According to the NYPD, just after midnight on Sunday, July 13th, a police officer on foot patrol by St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan was called over by a yellow cab driver who said his rear seat passenger, Ron Singleton, was "acting overly irate and irrational, cursing and screaming and causing alarm." From the NYPD:
When the rear passenger exited the taxi, he became combative with the officer, trying to fight with him. The officer radioed for assistance, and a Lieutenant and other officers from Midtown North responded to the location, along with ESU personnel. The male was restrained and placed in a protective body wrap by ESU officers. EMS also responded and began to remove the emotionally disturbed male to Bellevue Hospital as an EDP case. The male went into cardiac arrest while in the ambulance, causing the ambulance to re-direct to Roosevelt Hospital (the closest hospital to the incident location). Once at Roosevelt Hospital, the male was pronounced DOA.
Today, the NYPD revealed the ME's findings, that Singleton death was a homicide which was caused by the "physical restraint by police during excited delirium due to acute phencyclidine intoxication." The ME added, "Hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Obesity" was also determined to be contributing conditions."
The NYPD said, "We will continue to cooperate with the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which will be the lead investigative entity in this case."
Last month, Singleton's family spoke to PIX 11, upset that the details of his death were "being kept a secret," as his sister put it. Singleton's cousin Ed Robinson said that while the police them Ron was an EDP, "He spoke to his mother from the back of that cab and he was happy upbeat, he would never do anything or cause trouble, but IAB called us to say there was and altercation at the scene.”
Robinson added, “Ron was a good guy, he would never act out. We are a law abiding family, we need the system to work for us." Singleton was not put under arrest.
On July 18th, a Staten Island man, Eric Garner, died while being put in a prohibited chokehold by a police officer during an arrest. His death was ruled a homicide.
Tagged
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HOMICIDE
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Ron Singleton
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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