A man who was suspected of stealing a bicycle died after police detained him Wednesday in Hyattsville, Maryland, and he "suffered a medical emergency," police say.
Edwin Morales, 29, of Mount Rainier, became unresponsive after he ran from an officer, police said.
Police encountered him after a 64-year-old called 911 at about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday and said someone was stealing their bike. The bike owner followed the man from a car in the 4900 block of Rhode Island Avenue.
Officers found the man on a bike about a mile north, in the 5900 block of Baltimore Avenue in Riverdale Park.
During a “brief pursuit,” Morales jumped off the bike, ran from an officer and fell twice, police said. Then, he kept running and fell a third time, in a wooded area.
Hyattsville officers placed him in handcuffs and called an ambulance because they suspected he had used drugs. Officers waited for an ambulance and monitored his condition. When he became unresponsive, officers took off the handcuffs and began CPR, police said.
Officers were able to briefly revive Morales. Medics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Prince George’s County police are investigating upon the request of Hyattsville police, the city police department said. The investigation is ongoing, county police said.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
