Long Island man runs from officers trying to arrest him on a parole warrant. Police say he was unresponsive after they cuffed him facedown
Suffolk County police officers were patrolling a Huntington Station park on Tuesday afternoon when a man ran from them. Victor Santos, 62, was later pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital after he became unresponsive in police custody, according to Huntington Now. Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are now investigating his death.
The Suffolk County Police Department stated that officers from the Second Precinct’s anti-crime unit first encountered Santos around 1:20 p.m. during a patrol check at Alfred J. Walker Memorial Park. He fled on foot as they approached, and police said officers who recognized him ran a records check showing he was wanted on a parole warrant.
About 30 minutes later, witnesses pointed officers to a grassy area near the South Huntington Water District on Fifth Avenue South, where Santos was hiding. Police said an officer ordered him not to move, and Santos was handcuffed while facedown on the ground. However, when officers turned him over, they discovered he was unresponsive.
Police still haven’t said what caused his death
The officers on the scene attempted to help him immediately, as he was no longer responding. They started administering CPR and used a defibrillator to try and stabilize him. Despite these medical efforts, Santos was pronounced dead after he was taken to the hospital.
Officers also gave him Narcan, which is an anti-overdose medication, according to the department announcement. The drug reverses opioid overdoses and has no effect on someone without opioids in their system, per the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The institute notes that police officers and other first responders are trained to give it.
Police have not released a cause of death or further details about how Santos became unresponsive. According to the department, he was already lying face down in the grass when officers reached him, before the handcuffs went on. The statement also did not explain the basis for the parole warrant.
The state attorney general’s office could end up taking over the case
The New York State Attorney General’s office has been notified, as state law gives it authority over deaths that may involve police. Under Section 70-b of New York’s Executive Law, its Office of Special Investigation handles any death caused by an act or omission of a police officer, whether the person was in custody or not.
The office also takes cases where the attorney general decides there is a question about whether an officer caused the death. However, if it determines the Santos case falls outside those rules, it must notify the Suffolk County district attorney in writing.
If the case stays with the state, the statute requires investigators to gather evidence, interview witnesses, and review audio and video recordings. The local district attorney would have little say in that scenario, as the attorney general’s jurisdiction displaces the prosecutor’s.
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