State Report Released on Taser Death - Middleton Police Shocked Latino Man 34 Times in 10 Minutes

From [HERE] Efrain Carrion was so big and strong that it took five police officers, a police dog and 34 shots from a stun gun to subdue him on May 24, 2010, according to a state police investigation into his death that day.

A report by state police that was recently released describes a highly agitated man with great strength who flung officers about his Town Ridge apartment as they tried to calm him and get him medical help.

Carrion was tased a total of 34 times by three different officers within 8 to 10 minutes. On May 24, 2010, Carrion, suffering from a panic attack, hid under his bed and yelled things that didn't make sense. His sister-in-law told a 911 dispatcher that Carrion was having a "psychiatric melt down" and that he was getting violent and wanted to kill himself.

His wife, Rhode Carrion, told the Courant at the time that the Middletown Police Department's version of events was inaccurate. She said her husband did not strike any police officers, but was trying to get away from them because they were tasing him.

When police arrived, the bed was broken and Carrion was underneath, clutching the box spring and mattress. He pushed the mattress up and into Officer William Hertler, knocking him back. It was the first hint Hertler had of Carrion's strength.

He was brought to a chair, where he sat calmly for a little while. But then he slid off the chair and swung his arms out in front him, starting an intense physical struggle that overwhelmed the five officers who had responded to the scene.

He was tased multiple times, and a police dog was used during attempts to subdue him.

Eric Heidtman, a paramedic who responded to the scene, told state police that Carrion would stop moving when the tasers were deployed, but would return to fighting once the crackling of the stun gun ceased.

The violent struggle ended in the woods behind the apartment complex when Carrion's heart stopped beating. The state medical examiner determined "excited delirium" was the cause of death.

Carrion, who had ripped off all his clothes, tumbled down a flight of stairs with the police dog and exited the building. Efforts to subdue him were further complicated by his profuse sweating.

He crawled into a heavy thicket of brush and briars and put the police dog in a choke hold, the report states. Hertler used both arms and fists, and another officer stunned Carrion to loosen his hold on the dog.

The officers held his legs and arms down. Carrion appeared as exhausted as the officers and eventually became unresponsive, the report states. Paramedics attempted to revive him, but Carrion was pronounced dead at Middlesex Hospital.

"The accused fought his way forward and to the apartment door, barreling through us as if we did not exist," Officer William Hertler said in his statement to state police.

Middlesex County State's Attorney Timothy Liston cleared the Middletown officers — Hertler, Officer Elias Martz, Officer Christopher Lundberg, Officer Douglas Clark and Sgt. James Prokop — of any wrongdoing earlier this year.

Carrion, a 34-year-old father of two, had suffered from anxiety and depression ever since losing his job as a truck driver the previous year, his wife told police. He also had high blood pressure.

He was 5-foot-11 and weighed about 240 pounds. His back was so broad that it required three sets of handcuffs to secure his hands behind his back, the report states.