Death of Tampa Suspect Called Cardiac Arrest

A drug suspect whose arrest sparked an hourlong stone- and bottle-throwing melee died of cardiac arrest when in police custody, authorities said Thursday.

The predominantly black neighborhood was calm a day after about 100 officers in riot gear quelled an outbreak Wednesday night by about 75 young people that followed the arrest of Edgar Allen Price, 40, by undercover officers.

Price, who struggled violently during his arrest, had not been beaten or choked, Deputy Chief Thomas DePolis said at a news conference at which preliminary autopsy results were announced.

Although the medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was cardiac arrest, authorities had not determined what caused Price’s heart to stop and were still conducting autopsy tests, DePolis said.

“We wanted to dispel any rumors (that) we beat a man to death,” Police Chief Austin McLane said.

A grocery was looted and set afire and two shotgun blasts were fired at a news media van during the disturbance. A 21-year-old man was arrested on charges of inciting to riot, disorderly conduct and drinking in public.

A detective involved in the arrest suffered a broken nose and at least three other officers suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

Price, described as 6-foot-3 and weighing 300 pounds, struggled with two undercover officers after an informant made a drug buy in the College Hill area, police spokesman Steve Cole said.

Price “picked one of them (officers) up with one hand. He broke away from them,” Cole said. After one officer called for assistance on his radio, six officers arrived and subdued the suspect. The disturbance then flared as bands of young people began hurling stones and bottles, the spokesman said.

The suspect had 25 pieces of crack cocaine and a derringer in his pockets, Cole said.

Officials cordoned off four intersections in a 22-block housing development and summoned 100 police officers and 30 firefighters to quell the disturbance.

The College Hill neighborhood and housing development have been the site of frequent confrontations between residents and police officers in recent years, including an incident last April in which a crowd estimated at 400 people threw stones and bottles after the arrest of a robbery suspect.