A man died after a traffic stop by officers with the Memphis Safe Task Force on Oct. 12, the Task Force said in a press release.
The Task Force said it pulled over the man, who was not identified in the email statement, for a traffic stop near Overton Crossing and Pamela Drive. The stop was for a "moving violation," but it was not clear what that violation was.
The Task Force also said they believed the vehicle had narcotics inside prior to the stop.
"At the stop, Tennessee Highway Patrol officers interviewed the driver and secured the driver's license," the Task Force said in the statement. "Upon return to the suspect's vehicle, the trooper discovered him to be unresponsive. CPR was performed by personnel on scene and medics were requested. The
suspect was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased."
The Task Force said a K9 unit was brought to the scene and "made a positive alert on the vehicle." When officers searched the car, the Task Force statement said they found three pounds of marijuana.
The statement about the man's death was buried, placed toward the bottom of a routine press release about arrests the Task Force had made.
The Task Force did not respond to questions from The Commercial Appeal about why the man was stopped, who he was, how he is believed to have died, or if any force was used during the stop.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Man dies after Memphis Safe Task Force traffic stop, cause unknown
