Cedar Park Man Dies In Custody After Swallowing Drugs

CEDAR PARK, TX — A Cedar Park man died in custody after police said he swallowed narcotics before being arrested, sending him into seizures before his death.

Anthony Ray Harris, 35, of Cedar Park, was arrested after deputies were called to a nightclub along the 16300 block of North Interstate 35 just before 11 p.m. where the man had been involved in an altercation with a security guard. Police say Harris was seen in possession of what appeared to be narcotics before his detention, and was observed eating the entire white powdery substance he was holding.

As a precaution, Harris was first transported to Dell Seton Medical Center where he was examined before being released. After arriving at Travis County Central Booking, Harris began having seizures, according to a Travis County Sheriff's Office press advisory. Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to the scene to transport the man back to Dell Seton Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 3:34 am.

An investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, Internal Affairs Unit, the Texas Rangers and the Medical Examiner’s Office is ongoing, as is customary with any death in custody, officials said. An autopsy was performed on Saturday, and the final report is pending toxicology results.

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