Last night, a man died in police custody following an altercation outside of a Bronx bodega. According to the New York Post, 52-year-old Jose Muniz was approached by a plainclothes detective around 10:50 p.m. when he shoved what authorities said looked like drugs into his mouth. Police engaged Muniz, leading to a scuffle before he ended up on the ground in handcuffs.
However, police noticed that Muniz stopped breathing and attempted to perform CPR, but he died at the scene. A witness told ABC New York that police pepper sprayed Muinz, but he refused to let go of whatever held in his mouth. The Post reports that it is still unclear whether or not police recovered drugs from the scene.
Referred to as a "career perp" by the police, Muniz amassed over 30 arrests for crimes ranging from burglary to narcotics possession.
[via New York Post and ABC New York]
