The Region : Man Shot by Police With Taser Gun Dies

A man who struggled with Los Angeles police officers died after being shot with a Taser gun, which dispensed a 50,000-volt shock, authorities said. A coroner’s autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death. Police Lt. Larry Townsend said the unidentified man was found writhing in a South Los Angeles street by officers answering an unrelated call. When the officers approached, the man reacted violently and was shot with the Taser, Townsend said. In August, 1983, a year after the LAPD began widespread use of the dart gun, another man died after being similarly shot. An autopsy later determined that he died of heart failure resulting from PCP poisoning.