Florida Suspect Dies After Being Tasered

ORLANDO, Fla. --

A man fighting with deputies died after he was stunned three times with a Taser, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Jose Anibal Amaro, 45, of Kissimmee, was running in and out of traffic Tuesday on South Orange Blossom Trail “waving a belt over his head and foaming at the mouth,” the sheriff’s office said. Calls to 911 also said the man had a hammer, but it turned out to be a squeegee, agency spokesman Jim Solomons said.

When deputies arrived about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, the man got into a fighting pose, ignored deputies’ commands, and made a threatening move toward one deputy, Solomons said. Deputy Andrew Reynolds then used a Taser, which shoots prongs into a person and sends an electric charge designed to temporarily disable.

Amaro, however, got up and ran away, Solomons said. He charged at deputies, and again Reynolds used his Taser. At that time, Solomons said, Amaro indicated he would surrender, but then he continued to pull away from deputies.

After being shocked with the Taser a third time, Amaro ran from deputies, who eventually were able to tackle him with the help of a passer-by, Solomons said.

When he was in custody, deputies saw Amaro was having medical issues, and he was taken to Florida Hospital Kissimmee. At 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, the sheriff’s office was told that Amaro had died, Solomons said, who added that witnesses told police Amaro was drinking alcohol and using cocaine earlier Tuesday.

Reynolds is assigned to administrative duties while the agency investigates the incident.

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