Tempe Police reported the following incident Sunday:
A 29-year-old Phoenix man was arrested July 10 on the 1800 block of East Apache Boulevard on suspicion of aggravated assault against an officer and disorderly conduct against the Valley Metro Light Rail, according to a police report.
Valley Metro security contacted police while observing a man laying down and unconscious on the platform, police reported.
Upon arrival, two officers located the subject on the north side of the platform and initiated multiple attempts to wake him up, according to the report.
Although the man was breathing, he remained unresponsive to verbal announcements that the police wished to speak with him, which cued one of the officers to call Tempe Fire Department to conduct a medical evaluation, police reported.
The Fire Department attempted to obtain the man’s blood pressure and vital signs when the man partially regained consciousness and flailed his arms, preventing the personnel from conducting their evaluation, according to the report.
The man violently kicked his legs and ripped out the plastic tube connected to the blood pressure cuff on his arms and legs, police reported.
As the man stood up, officials immediately moved away as he proceeded to make grunting sounds and stand in a fighting position with his arms slightly bent and hands clenched into a fist, according to the report.
The man then lunged at an officer despite repeated verbal commands to stop and get on the ground, police reported.
While making commands, two officers simultaneously shot the man with a taser, which caused the man to lose his balance and fall toward a metal dividing structure on the platform, which he leaned against before falling to the ground, according to the report.
Police then told the man to get on his stomach and place his hands behind his head, to which the man complied despite acting “belligerent” and “aggressive” while in handcuffs later on, police reported.
Tempe Fire Department transported the man to Tempe St. Lukes Hospital to perform a full medical evaluation due to the man’s prior unresponsive state and, upon release, took him to the Tempe Police Department, according to the report.
While in transit to the station, the man stated that he would kill the four police officers, whom he referred to as “motherfuckers,” and that he would have his “brothers” from his “set” perform the attacks, police reported.
A background check revealed that the man is a documented gang member in the Native American South Side Coolidge gang, according to the report.
The man was booked into Tempe City Jail and held to see a judge, police reported.
Report compiled by Aimee Plante
Reach the reporter at aplante@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @aimeenplante
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