What caused a 52-year-old man to die in Mesa police custody over the weekend is under investigation.
Officers tried to pull him over for having no front light on his bicycle.
Mesa police say Eric Baker fled westbound on University Drive near Dobson Road on Saturday night and was chased on foot.
Baker crashed, was contacted and allegedly began resisting arrest. Mesa police say they struck Baker and tased him multiple times. It took three officers to handcuff him, police said.
Phoenix civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor has had similar cases involving Mesa police.
“A lot of people might say just because he was fleeing he deserved this. However, just because you are fleeing doesn’t make it right for officers to jump on top of you and kill you,” Taylor said.
Mesa police say officers called for emergency responders. Baker became unresponsive on the way to a hospital and died.
“The question is, why did this man have to die for a minor traffic violation? Police could handle it different ways. There is a lot of de-escalation techniques,” Taylor said.
Baker’s cause of death will be determined by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office.
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