Body Cam Footage Released Of Incident That Left Shoplifting Suspect Hospitalized
May 17, 2019, 1:05 PM | Updated: 1:11 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Police on Friday released body camera footage showing the moment officers responded to a report of a shoplifter and found the suspect unresponsive after being tackled to the ground.
The incident happened May 2 outside an ACE Hardware store at 612 E. 400 South. The man, identified as Mischa Ryan Cox, 30, died days later in the hospital.
In the video, a Salt Lake City Police Department officer can be seen performing chest compression on Cox while another officer takes identifications from people gathered at the scene.
One of the 911 calls concerning the incident where a suspected shoplifter was down outside an Ace Hardware earlier this month in SLC. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/Us6VKNoNWp
— Felicia Martinez (@FeliciaNews) May 17, 2019
Authorities said an ACE Hardware employee called police to report the shoplifter. When they arrived, they found Cox had been restrained in the parking lot by four people, two of them employees of the hardware store.
Police then placed handcuffs on Cox. When they realized he wasn’t breathing, they began CPR and called for medical assistance.
Medical arrived, removed his cuffs, and transported him to the hospital.
During a press conference, SLCPD also released audio of a 911 call from a witness outside the store.
The woman said she heard the ACE employee call the police, but she didn’t believe the employee had described how bad the situation was. The witness said Cox was face down, bleeding and screaming.
“They have him down on the ground, and (the employee) didn’t say that when they called police before,” the caller told the dispatcher. “… I don’t know if he needs medical or not, but it seems like it could be dangerous. There’s people all over.”
The cause of Cox’s death has still not been determined.
The investigation has been turned over to the Unified Police Department and the District Attorney’s office to determine what charges, if any, will be filed against the individuals who apprehended Cox.
