Power theft case ends in death

FORT WORTH, Texas – A man suspected of trying to illegally hook up electrical service died after police shocked him with a stun gun when he was found hiding at an apartment complex, police said.

Robert Guerrero, 21, was pronounced dead Tuesday at John Peter Smith Hospital where he was taken after officers subdued him with a Taser stun gun and he stopped breathing, police said.

Officers were called to the complex where residents said someone was illegally hooking up electrical service at a unit, police Lt. Abdul Pridgen said.

When they arrived, Guerrero hid in a closet and refused to come out, Pridgen said. Officers shot Guerrero with a Taser stun gun after asking him twice to come out. Pridgen said the man was then handcuffed but stopped breathing shortly after.

“They had dealt with him before and had a history with him,” Pridgen said. “They believed he might have had a weapon.”

While some deaths have been linked to use of Tasers, officials of Taser International have defended their product, now used by thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide.