Louisiana Officer Suspects Man Has Drugs in Mouth and Breaks Man’s Neck During Arrest

Officials in Livingston Parish, Louisiana are reviewing a video from a traffic stop by Deputy Chris Sturdivant that resulted in the broken neck of Adam Stogner, 42. Sturdivant believed that Stogner might be hiding drugs in his mouth when he wrestled him to the ground.

Stogner died from “severe coronary artery disease, an enlarged heart, and a fracture of the hyoid bone in his neck.”

The video begins with Sturdivant suspicious about what Stogner had in his hand:

Sturdivant: “What you got in your hand? “Give me your hand,”

Stogner: “I don’t have nothing in my hand, I swear to you.”

Sturdivant later believes that he saw the man put what was in his hand into his mouth.

The Department believes that the deputy acted appropriately despite the rapid escalation of force:

“He was appropriate in his actions. He followed departmental protocol in trying to arrest a subject who tried to resist,” Ard said. Only after two more deputies arrive on scene is Stogner completely cuffed. Keep in mind, the baggy is still in his mouth. It’s then that one of the deputies notices Stogner is having trouble breathing and calls for medical help. “Is he breathing?” one of the deputies asked. “I don’t know,” another answered.

For the full story, click here.