A 24-year-old man who died two days after being Tasered by Fort Worth police may have ingested a large amount of methamphetamine just before being taken into custody, according to a police report.
The man, who was not identified by police, was arrested early Friday after a car chase and brief struggle in the 10900 block of U.S. 287 in far northwest Fort Worth. He collapsed in a patrol car after the incident, which involved both gunfire and the use of Tasers, police said.The man was identified as Daniel Guerra, 24, of the 700 block of South Cherry Lane in Fort Worth, according to a news release on the Tarrant County medical examiner's website. The release didn't provide a cause of death.Guerra died Sunday morning. Police provided details on the incident in a statement issued Monday.The incident began about 1 a.m. Friday, Fort Worth police spokesman Pedro Criado said. An officer at a hotel known for narcotics transactions ran a license plate check on a cream-colored Cadillac, determined that it had an expired registration and tried to pull it over, he said. A pursuit ensued.Other officers deployed "stop sticks" across the highway lanes, which caused the Cadillac to "fish tail," Criado said. "As the vehicle was moving side to side, officers observed gunshots being fired from the suspect vehicle and window glass flying back in the direction of their patrol units," he said in a statement.The car traveled across the highway and stopped on the south side of the roadway. A female exited the passenger side and ran to the rear of the car, and the male suspect emerged from the driver side with his hands up, the police report says. But the male suspect then "quickly dove back into the driver's area and out of officers' sight."One officer believed the suspect was reaching for a gun, and fired a shot from his duty weapon, but the shot apparently missed the suspect, according to police. Officers then struggled with the suspect while trying to take him into custody, and two officers "deployed their Taser in drive stun mode and were able to take the male suspect into custody."The male suspect was then taken to a patrol car, where he collapsed. Officers couldn't detect a heartbeat and began performing cardiopulmonary rescusitation, Criado said."The female suspect told officers that she and the male suspect had ingested a large amount of 'meth' during the pursuit while running from officers," Criado said.Both suspects were taken to a hospital by ambulance.Guerra was pronounced dead at 11:40 a.m. Sunday at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, the medical examiner's report shows.The name and condition of the female suspect, who police say was treated for an overdose, was not available Monday.A revolver was recovered from the driver's area of the Cadillac, and a white powder substance was found in the vehicle and on the suspects' clothes, Criado said.The medical examiner's office will make a final determination of the cause of death.Criado said he couldn't comment further, on the grounds that it is a "critical police incident" that is still under investigation.Gordon Dickson, 817-390-7796Twitter: @gdicksonHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
