Former New Orleans Saints player Glenn Foster Jr. dies in custody after Alabama arrest
Alabama authorities are investigating after former NFL player Glenn Foster Jr. died in custody following a high-speed chase that resulted in his arrest and then a scuffle involving officers in the county jail where he was being held. The death of the 31-year-old former New Orleans Saints player was reported at a medical facility Monday in Northport, Alabama, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
While being handcuffed, Foster fought against a Pickens County deputy and a correctional officer, injuring the deputy's nose and hand, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press.
Following his arrest, Foster had an initial court appearance before Pickens County District Judge Samuel Junkin, where he was "non-compliant and refused to respond to answer any questions" aside from demanding an attorney, the judge wrote in an order Monday.
Based on police observations and how Foster behaved, the judge said Foster was "not mentally stable and a danger to himself and others" and ordered him held without bond for a mental evaluation at Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa.
But what happened from that time until his death was a mystery. Few other details have been released.
Foster's parents say they fear their son might not have received proper care while in custody, they told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
"I can't get my son back, but we want whoever is responsible to pay for this," his mother, Sabrina Foster, told the news organization.
The investigation has been turned over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which said no further information was available as the investigation is ongoing.
Foster had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was about 20 but had mostly been able to manage the illness before the arrest, Foster's father, Glenn Foster Sr., told the news outlet. The arrest happened as his son was driving to Atlanta on business, his father said.
The chase started Friday after 11 p.m. in the small town of Reform, Alabama, the Reform Police Department said in a statement.
Foster was driving at speeds of up to 90 mph and led officers on a chase along a state highway that crossed into the nearby town of Gordo, whose officers joined the chase, Reform police Chief Richard Black told the New Orleans news site. Officers used a "spike strip" to flatten all four of his tires and slow the car, Black said.
The Reform Police Department said Foster drove off the roadway and through a pharmacy's parking lot before striking a metal railing around a drainage ditch and two large curbs and coming to a stop.
He engaged in what Black described as a "small, minor tussle" with officers but no one appeared to get hurt, Black told the news site. The police department said officers didn't strike Foster or use pepper spray or a stun gun. Foster was then handcuffed and driven to the Pickens County Jail.
He was booked into jail after 12 a.m. Saturday on charges of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and attempting to elude police, according to the Reform Police Department.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement it was investigating at the request of the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. No cause of death was released and Foster's body was released to the Department of Forensic Science.
Originally from Chicago, Foster has been living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He played two seasons for the Saints at defensive end, appearing in 17 games in 2013 and 2014.
Court records do not include the name of any attorney who might have represented Foster.