FBI Reveals Probe of Barber’s Death : Inquiry: Agency took action before U.S. rights panel called for investigation into death of Michael James Bryant, who was hogtied in back of police car.

Even as the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights was asking last week for a federal investigation into the death of Pasadena barber Michael James Bryant, an inquiry had been under way for two days, a Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman said Saturday.

The Los Angeles office of the FBI on Wednesday “instituted a preliminary investigation into allegations of civil rights violations” in the case of Bryant, who died in police custody last month after being shot with a stun gun and hogtied, FBI spokesman John Hoos said.

The commission, unaware of the FBI action, voted Friday to refer the matter to the Justice Department, parent agency of the FBI.

Hoos said that his office had initiated the investigation solely on the basis of what had been reported in the media, not because of an official request.

He said the results of the preliminary investigation would be forwarded to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, which would decide whether to initiate a full-fledged investigation. Hoos said he could not estimate how long the preliminary investigation would take.

Arthur A. Fletcher, the chairman of the Washington-based civil rights commission who drew a comparison between Bryant’s death and the beating of Rodney G. King, could not be reached Saturday.

Bryant died after a car chase March 8, which ended with Bryant leaving his car, running down a Highland Park hillside and falling into an apartment swimming pool, where officers shot him with a Taser gun and tied his wrists and ankles behind his back.

Bryant stopped breathing a short time later in the back of a San Marino police car.

Participating in the chase and arrest were officers from San Marino, Pasadena and Los Angeles, some of whom struck Bryant with police batons. Lawyers for Bryant’s family, who contend that he was beaten before he was arrested, have filed claims totaling more than $20 million with the three cities.