Police Stun Gun Kills Texas Man
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A man suspected of trying to illegally hook up electrical service died after police shocked him with a stun gun when he was found hiding at an apartment complex, authorities said.
Robert Guerrero, 21, was pronounced dead Tuesday at John Peter Smith Hospital (search) where he was taken after officers subdued him with a Taser stun gun (search) and he stopped breathing, police said.
Officers were called to the complex where residents said someone was illegally hooking up electrical service at a unit, police Lt. Abdul Pridgen said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When they arrived, Guerrero hid in a closet and refused to come out, Pridgen said. Officers shot Guerrero with a Taser stun gun after asking him twice to come out. Pridgen said the man was then handcuffed but stopped breathing shortly thereafter.
"They had dealt with him before and had a history with him," Pridgen said. "They believed he might have had a weapon."
The stun guns, used primarily by police, temporarily incapacitate people by sending electrical charges through their bodies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While some deaths have been linked to their use, officials of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taser International (search) have defended their product, now used by thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide.