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TAMPA MAN DIES AFTER
RESISTING ARREST VIOLENTLY
ABBERANT BEHAVIOR PROMPTED CALLS TO POLICE
A 34-year-old Tampa man
died late Wednesday after he fought violently with police called
to a Clearwater Beach motel to investigate reports of a partially
dressed man acting erratically and violently, knocking over furniture
and frightening residents.
THOMAS CLINT TIPTON (10-13-71),
of 10028 Colonnade Drive in Tampa, was pronounced dead shortly after
arriving at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater where he was taken
after collapsing during the late-night struggle with uniformed Clearwater
Police Officers. Although the man was involved in a violent fight
with Police, there was no obvious injury that would have resulted
in collapse and death.
The Pinellas-Pasco Medical
Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to try and determine why
the man was behaving so aggressively and violently, and to specify
Mr. Tipton’s precise cause of death.
Clearwater Police were
called to the Tropic Isle Motel at 23 Rockaway Street at 11:30 Wednesday
night after several people called to report a shirtless man acting
violently, knocking over patio furniture and breaking jalousie windows
at the small lodging establishment.
When Police arrived,
Tipton ignored their repeated demands to settle down and submit
to their orders. When the Officers moved in to try and subdue the
agitated man, Tipton fought with them, striking out with his fists
and legs, avoiding being taken into custody.
At some point during
the struggle, one of the Officers used a Taser to try and stun the
man into submission; the attempt failed and the hand-to-hand encounter
escalated. Eventually, three Officers were able to get handcuffs
on Tipton’s wrists, but he continued to fight and kick and roll,
evading all attempts to defuse the violent situation.
Shortly thereafter, however,
Tipton collapsed, was transported to Morton Plant and pronounced
dead. Tipton was not a registered guest at the motel.
Investigators spent the
pre-dawn hours of Thursday interviewing witnesses and retracing
Tipton’s movements on Clearwater Beach prior to his encounter with
Police Wednesday night.
Detectives will work
closely with the Medical Examiner to try and establish a reason
for Tipton’s aberrant behavior, and his cause of death.
In the interim, all three
Officers involved in the fracas have been placed on paid administrative
leave, in accordance with department policies and procedures; Sergeant
Joe Tenbieg, a 50-year-old, 23-year department veteran; Officer
Larry Harbert, 37, a Clearwater Police Officer for 16 years; and
Officer Daniel Higgins, a 43-year-old, 19-year veteran of the department.
This is the extent of
information of information available at this time; additional details
will be made public as circumstances warrant.
/s/
SID KLEIN
Chief of Police
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