Man Tased By Manatee County Deputy Dies

BRADENTON, FL — A 39-year-old man is dead after a Wednesday morning disturbance at Centerstone, a behavioral health hospital, in Bradenton.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the 2020 26th Ave. E. hospital around 12:25 a.m. When they arrived, they “encountered a subject who was displaying erratic behavior,” an email from the agency said. The man, identified as Christopher Erdman, was dropped off at the hospital Tuesday night “after apparently being under the influence of narcotics for several days.”

Erdman, deputies said, began yelling at staff and running around the lobby.

“Deputies tried to secure the subject but he resisted,” the email said. “One of the deputies used his taser to drive stun the subject in the shoulder.”

Deputies were then able to handcuff Erdman and were getting ready to transport him when he suffered a medical issue and became unresponsive, the email said. EMS was called to the scene and took Erdman to Manatee Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:38 a.m., the email said.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. The three deputies involved, who have not been identified, are now on routine administrative leave pending the investigation’s outcome.

Erdman’s date of birth, the email noted, was April 6, 1977.

No further information is available at this time.

Image via Shutterstock

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