Kent Police are reporting that on Monday, April 3, 2023 at about 5:25 p.m., Officers were dispatched to the Home Depot Store on the East Hill of Kent in regards to a security guard fighting with a robbery suspect.
Dispatch noted that the suspect had been tased by security personnel, but was continuing to fight.
Two Kent Police Officers arrived about 3 minutes after the call was dispatched. Upon arrival, they observed a lone security officer on the ground with the suspect. The security officer was attempting to place the suspect’s hands into handcuffs. The Officers assisted with handcuffing, then placed the suspect, a 38-year-old Renton man, in an upright seated recovery position. The suspect was seated leaning against an Officer for observation.
The Officers noticed that the suspect was beginning to turn pale, so they immediately called for medical aid. They also located evidence that the suspect might have consumed narcotics and was exhibiting signs of a drug overdose. They administered Narcan and continued to monitor the male. At one point the male’s pulse stopped, and they immediately began CPR and lifesaving efforts.
Puget Sound Fire and Medics arrived and continued CPR for about 40 minutes. The male regained a pulse and was transported to a hospital for additional care.
Tragically, the man passed away at the hospital on April 5, 2023.
Although Kent Officers did not use force on the deceased male, Police Chief Rafael Padilla requested that the Valley Independent Investigation Team (VIIT) be called in to conduct the death investigation. VIIT investigators did respond to the scene and are conducting the investigation.
“The death of the male in this incident is tragic. My condolences go out to the male’s family.” Chief Padilla said. “The information we have at this point indicates that our officers did all they could to save the male. Performing CPR and other lifesaving medical aid is traumatic and takes an emotional toll on our officers. I want to thank our officers for their valiant efforts to save the man’s life.”
