Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil says deputies who used a Taser early Tuesday morning to subdue a man resisting arrest appear to have followed department protocols.
59-year-old Gary Roell stopped breathing after the incident and was pronounced dead at Bethesda North Hospital.
"These are instances where you are justified in deploying a Taser: in protection of others, including yourself; and to meet the resistance of someone who is not complying, who is resisting arrest, to gain control of the situation," says Neil.
The Taser prongs hit Roell in the shoulder blade and hip areas.
A neighbor reported Roell broke out a window in her Sycamore Township townhome. The Sheriff's office says deputies found extensive damage to cars in the complex parking lot and the landscaping. The Sheriff says Roell's home was also in disarray.
The incident is still under investigation. The coroner is investigating cause of death.
One deputy was punched in the face but is said to be fine.
