Dayton man who lost consciousness in police custody died of cardiac arrest

The death of Antonio Lewis, 62, is still under investigation by the coroner’s office; two separate Dayton police investigations into the use of force and the crash that the man was involved in are under way. None of the officers involved are suspended.

A toxicology report for the man is also pending, according to the preliminary report.

The coroner’s office initial investigation pointed to the positive drug test and cardiac arrest following being tasered by police, according to the preliminary autopsy.

The investigators did not locate any taser prong marks on the man during his examination, according to the coroner’s office.

Coroner’s office investigators also noted blunt force trauma, as they found abrasions and contusions on Lewis’ arms, chest, knees and back, according to the preliminary report.

The coroner’s office noted in its report that the man also had multiple health conditions prior to his death.

Dayton police were dispatched early in the morning on June 7 to a report of a crash and found an unoccupied SUV that was smoking near Gillespie Park at the DeSoto Bass public housing complex.

The vehicle’s airbags deployed in the crash and the SUV sustained damage to the front and sides after driving through two metal fences, according to police.

Officers found the driver, Lewis, nearby with an injury to his arm and ripped pants, who said he needed help.

Body camera footage showed Lewis become agitated with officers, who were waiting for medics to arrive following the crash. The two officers on scene tried to get him to sit and to calm him but he backed up against their cruiser and balled his hands into fists, the video shows.

In the footage, Lewis resisted the officers when they tried to handcuff him. During the struggle, he grabbed an officer’s Taser and ripped it from his duty vest, according to police.

Once he was secured, officers noticed that he lost consciousness.

Lewis briefly regained consciousness after the officers turned him over as they were trained, Dayton police Chief Kamran Afzal said at a press conference earlier this month.

Lewis was declared brain dead on June 9, according to the preliminary autopsy.