DEATH OF MAN WHO SWALLOWED METH AN 'ACCIDENT'

A Surrey man who choked to death after being arrested by the Surrey
RCMP died by accident, a coroner's inquest jury has found.

Brandon Norman Whitelaw, 22, choked to death after he swallowed a bag
of drugs during a drug bust at a residence on Ravine Road in Whalley,
on July 31, 2008. He was pronounced dead at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

The inquest, held in Burnaby this past week, also found acute
methamphetamine toxicity to be a significant contributing factor in
Whitelaw's death. The jury recommended that the RCMP review the use of
force Mounties use to the neck area of people trying to swallow
evidence, and until this review is completed that the RCMP cease to
use force in such cases.