DALLAS — The Dallas Police Department (DPD) says an investigation is underway following the in-custody death of a 70-year-old man.
DPD said just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 28, an officer saw a driver hit another vehicle in the 9500 block of CF Hawn Freeway Service Road going eastbound and then leave the scene.
The officer pursued the driver and stopped the vehicle in the westbound lanes of the service road, police said.
The driver, identified as 70-year-old Roy Whittaker, was taken into custody without incident.
DPD said the driver of the vehicle Whittaker hit didn't stay at the scene and never returned to file a report. But Whittaker was arrested for misdemeanor warrants out of the city of Dallas, DPD said.
Just before 1:50 a.m., officers said during the search of Whittaker, he became sick and asked for their help.
DPD said in a press release officers “immediately requested” Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) and “the on-scene supervisor told the officers to remove the handcuffs.”
Dallas Fire-Rescue arrived on scene at 1:55 a.m.
By 1:59 a.m., police said Whittaker was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. Once inside the ambulance, DFR started performing CPR and called for a DFR engine to respond to the scene, police said.
At around 2:17 a.m., DFR began transporting Whittaker to a local hospital, arriving at 2:27 a.m.
DPD said Whittaker was pronounced dead at 2:42 a.m.
In an effort to be transparent, DPD released edited bodycam of the incident, which can be viewed here.
The Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit is investigating Whittaker’s death. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and Office of Community Police Oversight were also notified, DPD said.
This is the second in-custody death the department has reported in the last week. On June 23, DPD said 39-year-old Xzavier Franklin was arrested on outstanding warrants and later died in a local hospital after informing officers he was feeling sick.
In an effort to be transparent, DPD released bodycam and security camera footage of the moments before Franklin’s death. An autopsy has been conducted and those results, along with the toxicology report are pending, police said.
Overall, DPD has reported three in-custody deaths this year.
