Man swallows baggie with suspected cocaine, dies

The man's death was more likely due to "choking on the bag" than ingesting any of the suspected cocaine, police said.

Star Tribune

Last update: April 2, 2008 - 11:36 PM

A passenger in a car that was stopped by police in downtown Minneapolis swallowed a plastic baggie of suspected cocaine as an officer tried to remove it, and the man died, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. Saturday near 12th Street and Currie Avenue, police said.

The man's death was more likely due to "choking on the bag" than ingesting any of the suspected cocaine, police Sgt. Jesse Garcia said.

According to the release:

The officer pulled over a vehicle for failure to signal.

A male passenger was removed from the vehicle, and police saw that he had a plastic baggie with suspected crack cocaine concealed in his mouth.

The officer tried to remove the baggie, but the man swallowed it and "immediately went into respiratory arrest."

An ambulance was called, and the man was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. He had emergency surgery to remove the baggie. He died Tuesday.

The officer was placed on three-day administrative leave, which is standard policy. Police homicide and internal affairs investigators are handling the case.

The Hennepin County medical examiner's office will identify the man and determine a cause of death.

PAUL WALSH