A man who was pulled over by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force and later died suffered from "long term heart issues," which the Task Force said caused the man's death.
The man, who has not been identified by law enforcement, died on Oct. 12. The Task Force said it would not identify the man "for the families privacy."
According to the Task Force, the man was pulled over near Overton Crossing and Pamela Drive for a "moving violation," but the Task Force has not clearly said what that violation was. The Task Force also said they believed the vehicle had narcotics inside prior to the stop.
A Task Force spokesperson did not initially say what caused the man's death, but Deputy Chief Brady McCarron from the U.S. Marshal Service's Office of Public
Affairs said Oct. 15, there will not be an investigation into the death.
"According to doctors and the individual's wife, he has had long term heart issues and died due to those issues," McCarron said in an email statement to The Commercial Appeal. "If you check with the hospital, they may say it was natural causes, but we are not sure how they classified his death due to his heart issues."
The Task Force said the stop was conducted by Tennessee Highway Patrol officers.
"At the stop, Tennessee Highway Patrol officers interviewed the driver and secured the driver's license," the Task Force said in a previous 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."
A K9 unit was brought to the scene and "made a positive alert" on the car. Three pounds of marijuana were found in the vehicle, the Task Force said.
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: Memphis Task Force says man died after traffic stop from heart disease
