Police ID man who died in their custody

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A suspect died in police custody Tuesday night, IMPD said, after running from officers on off-duty employment at a residential complex in Indianapolis.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday identified the man who died as 28-year-old Anton Butler.

At about 8 p.m., according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department news release, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies working in full uniform at Bethel Townhomes in the 3100 block of Baltimore Avenue saw what they believed to be a possible drug transaction.

When they approached a man believed to be involved, IMPD said, the man, Butler, put what officers believed to be narcotics in his mouth and ran from police. The deputies caught up with him and a confrontation ensued, at which point they used their department-issued stun guns, which failed to subdue Butler, IMPD said. During a second confrontation with Butler, additional officers from IMPD arrived and helped place him under arrest.

A short while later, however, the man began foaming at the mouth and lost consciousness, IMPD said. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, IMPD said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, IMPD said. The Marion County coroner’s office said an autopsy completed Wednesday found no apparent cause or manner of death, so that determination would need to wait for toxicology results.