Shoplifting Suspect Dies In Police Custody In Greenburgh

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A shoplifting suspect died in police custody in Greenburgh this week, after police used a Taser on him while he allegedly fought with store employees and security.

Police said the suspect had ingested several packets of a substance before he was apprehended.

Around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, Greenburgh police officers were called to the Best Buy at 299 N. Central Ave. for a larceny in progress. Upon arriving, officers found Best Buy employees and security officers struggling with the suspect on the ground at Webb Field, near North Central Avenue and Harvard Drive, police said.

Officers tried to gain control of the suspect and used a Taser on him, police said. He was then handcuffed, police said.

Best Buy employees then explained that the suspect had ingested several packets of an unknown substance prior to the struggle, police said.

The suspect began to lose consciousness and was treated by officers and paramedics at the scene, police said. The suspect went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance, and while first responders continued to treat him, he was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 6:54 p.m., police said.

The suspect was identified as Jonathan Maldonado, 21, of Yonkers. He is the nephew of Yonkers City Council president-elect Mike Khader.

Greenburgh police asked for the assistance of Yonkers police officers for an independent law enforcement investigation. The Westchester County District Attorney's office and the New York State Attorney General's office are also involved.

Three officers involved were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, and have been placed on desk duty.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)