DRUG SUSPECT DIES WITH BAG IN HIS THROAT

DOTHAN -- A Dothan man suffocated on a small plastic bag believed to
contain marijuana after fleeing police who were seeking to make an arrest,
authorities said. Timothy Brooks, 19, was one of several people
investigated by police Friday after a complaint that drugs were being sold
on a Dothan street, police Chief John White said. After vice officers
determined the individuals were selling drugs, White said, the officers
identified themselves and the group of suspects fled.

White said police chased Brooks for about three blocks and had nearly
caught him when he tripped and fell. They handcuffed him, then he
complained that he was having trouble breathing, White said.

The officers called paramedics, but Brooks stopped breathing before they
arrived, White said.

Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd said paramedics were unable to revive
Brooks and he was pronounced dead at Southeast Alabama Medical Center. Byrd
said the cause of death was asphyxiation due to a bag lodging in the throat.

Forensics investigators found a plastic bag containing a "green, leafy
substance" in Brooks' esophagus, White said. Tests will be done to
determine whether the substance was marijuana, he said.