Unarmed Suspect Dies An Hour After Being Restrained, Bodycam Footage Released [Video]

An unarmed theft suspect died in police custody in Utah, almost an hour after he was restrained by cops. In response to the public outrage on the encounter between the deceased and their officers, the Salt Lake City Police Department released bodycam footage of the incident, Friday.

The officers responded to the Fisher Brewing in Salt Lake City at 3:16 p.m. on Aug.14 after a 911 caller reported a man in underwear attempting to steal beer and attacking a person at their door, NYPost reported.

The suspect, who was later identified as, 35-year-old Nykon Brandon, was "erratic", throwing things, and "running around crazy" according to the caller.

"Definitely mental health issues. So if you've got mental health resources, send them out," the caller requested.

However, instead, police officers responded to the scene in a patrol car. When the officers arrived, Brandon had already left the store and was reportedly running around the street.

The body cam video shows the cops attempting to stop and restrain Brandon while he tries to avoid them. At one point during the encounter, Brandon tries to grab an officer's holstered gun while the cops keep him facedown in the gravel.

The cops then eventually place him in handcuffs with his face still down. "Can you hear me?" an officer could be heard asking Brandon three times. An officer then orders to get Brandon into a recovery position and the cops roll him onto his side. "Come on man," an officer says as the footage goes dark at that point.

"After being taken into custody, the suspect lost consciousness. Officers performed medical aid, including chest compressions, and administered naloxone," the SLCD said in a press release soon after the incident.

Brandon was taken to a hospital but the SLCD said they were notified about his death at 4:16 p.m.

"As the body-worn camera video shows, this is a situation that rapidly unfolded. It was a chaotic situation and our officers were required to make very fast decisions to get a situation under control that was very tense," SLCD spokesperson Brent Weisberg said, ABC 30 reported.

After the footage was released, human rights activists claimed cops used disproportionate force during the incident leading up to the death of an unarmed person.

"Stealing a beer does not equate to the death penalty. I don't care if this man robbed 10 banks in one day. He didn't deserve to die. He deserved to make it to court," Lex Scott, founder of Black Lives Matter-Utah said.

Meanwhile, Rae Duckworth, operating chairperson for Black Lives Matter's Utah said since the footage does not show the officers administering aid to Brandon, there is no proof that he was helped by the cops. "We don't even have proof they actually administered aid. We don't have proof that they actually administered Narcan," Duckworth said.