Oakland Park, FL: Suspect dies in BSO custody; relatives question reason

OAKLAND PARK — A man who was in the custody of deputies from the Broward Sheriff's Office, died early Monday, officials said.

The man, identified by relatives as 31-year-old James Doe, or "Bobo," died after he became violent while in the back of a patrol car and a deputy used a stun gun on him, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The incident happened near the 200 block of Lake Pointe Drive, a gated community south of Commercial Boulevard and just west of the Oak Tree Country Club.

Deputies responded to a call about a man trying to kick down a woman's apartment door shortly before 2 a.m., said Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Dani Moschella.

The man had successfully knocked down the apartment door and was inside the unit when the deputies arrived, Moschella said. They detained him and placed him inside a patrol car, where Moschella said he became violent and repeatedly kicked the car's door and window.

"He ignored all verbal commands and a deputy deployed a Taser one time," she said.

A short time after the stun gun was used, the deputies realized the man was unresponsive, Moschella said. They started to do CPR on him and called Oakland Park Fire Rescue.

He was taken to Florida Medical Center and pronounced dead a short time later, Moschella said.

"This is the type is the type of situation where a Taser is usually a very successful, non lethal weapon," Moschella said. "It helps the deputies avoid having to go hands on."

The Broward County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death.

Gathered a relative's Lauderdale Lakes home on Monday morning, family members said they believe Doe fell victim to police abuse.

"I think the police overdid it with force like they always do, he's so small, they didn't have to use that much force," said Doe's Cousin, Loren Lampley.

Lampley said Doe was thinly built, weighing about 130 pounds.

"We are really devastated to what the police did to our family."

Cousin Gideon Smith expressed the same concern. "We gotta go bury my cousin because cops can't control themselves," he said. "I think they killed him, matter of fact, I know they killed my little cousin."

Smith said Doe once lived with the woman involved in the domestic dispute but had recently moved out and was staying with relatives. He said his cousin went to the apartment Sunday night to see if he could bring two dogs together to mate when an argument ensued.

Doe was the father of one daughter, Smith said.