Man Dies In Custody After Eating 'White Substance' While Fleeing

WAUKEGAN, IL — A man died in custody Thursday in Waukegan after eating an "unknown white substance" while being chased by detectives, police said. Records show the man had posted bond just an hour earlier after appearing in court earlier that day on drug possession charges.

Detectives encountered the man while serving a drug-related search warrant around 3 p.m. at a home in the 600 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, according to Waukegan police. Officers recognized the man, a Waukegan resident in his 30s, and knew he had a warrant. Police declined to disclose the details of his warrant.

Police said the man got out of his vehicle and began walking up to the home investigators were set to search. When detectives approached him, he took off running and began to eat a white substance, according to police.

The man fell while fleeing and was taken into custody, continuing to chew the suspected drugs and refusing officers' demands to spit it out, police said. Detectives called paramedics from the Waukegan Fire Department to the scene after the man became "physically distressed," police said. He was taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, where he was pronounced dead around shortly before 4:45 p.m., according to the Lake County Coroner's Office.

Illinois State Police are investigating the man's death at the request of Waukegan Police Chief Wayne Walles, according to a statement from the chief.

Coroner Howard Cooper identified the man as 31-year-old Avion Cotton after conducting an autopsy Friday morning.

"There were no signs of physical trauma seen during the autopsy, however, multiple bags containing a white rocklike substance were found in his stomach and esophagus," Cooper said. Toxicology and further autopsy results remain pending, he said.

According to court records, a warrant for Cotton's arrest on a charge of driving on a revoked license had been issued earlier on the day of his death. He was on probation due to pleading guilty in February to a reduced offense of theft following charges related to a stolen car.

Cotton also appeared in court the morning of his death on a separate charge, according to court records. In that case, he was facing a charge of possession of a controlled substance following his arrest by Riverwoods police on Nov. 18, 2018.

Police reports show he was pulled over for speeding while driving with a revoked license and found to have a total of 61 pills of Xanax in a zip-lock bag. In March, Cotton turned himself in to police after the pills tested positive and prosecutors approved a felony drug charge. He pleaded not guilty in April and was released on bond.

Records show his bond was raised on Thursday after prosecutors said he violated it by testing positive for alcohol and marijuana. According to Lake County Sheriff's Office records, Cotton was released at 2:09 p.m. Thursday after posting the $3,000 cash portion of his increased bond.

Family members and a witness told reporters police tackled Cotton and put him in handcuffs before choking, macing and tasing him. But Waukegan Police Cmdr. Joe Florip said police did not use a taser, pepper spray or any other irritant on the man.