DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- A man who was
wandering naked along the Hillsboro Boulevard bridge died while in the
custody of Broward Sheriff's Office deputies after he was stunned with
a Taser gun, authorities said Friday.James Garland was pronounced dead at Imperial Point Hospital early Friday morning.According
to the BSO, deputies were dispatched to the Hillsboro Boulevard bridge
at about 4:15 a.m. in reference to a man who was walking in traffic and
waving his shirt in the air. When deputies arrived, they found Garland
wandering naked outside the Ocean Boulevard Condominium.
Garland
was belligerent and refused to comply with deputies who were
questioning him, according to the BSO. The 41-year-old man was
violently resisting arrest when deputies stunned him with a Taser gun,
the BSO said.Because Garland was so violent, according to the
BSO, paramedics declined to transport him to the hospital.
Instead,
deputies placed him in a patrol car and drove him to the hospital,
where he arrived unconscious.Garland had an extensive criminal
history, including 10 arrests in Broward County since 2002, mostly for
cocaine-related charges. He was also a registered sex offender.An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.