A Parkland man who was Tasered on Tuesday during a scuffle with Broward sheriff's deputies in front of the Sawgrass Infiniti car dealership in Tamarac has died in the hospital, according to authorities.
The man, identified as John J. Meier Jr., 48, had been running in and out of traffic on West Commercial Boulevard while wearing only a pair of shorts. He was violently resisting arrest when he was Tasered, according to BSO spokesman Jim Leljedal.
Meier, who authorities suspected was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, died in the hospital about five or six hours later, Leljedal said.
Deputies first encountered Meier about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after he began undressing and running through traffic in the 10500 block of West Commercial Boulevard.
The first deputy to arrive tried to lead Meier away from the road, but he began fighting the deputy and continued to struggle when two backup deputies arrived, Leljedal said.
During the struggle, one of the deputies drew a Taser and pressed it directly to Meier's body, taking him to the ground, where he was handcuffed.
Leljedal could not say how many times Meier was Tasered or how long he was hit with the stun gun.
Paramedics took him to University Hospital, where he was treated for several hours before being pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Meier's vehicle, a 2007 Dodge pickup truck, was found at a Shell gas station at Hiatus Road and Commercial Boulevard, not far from the site where deputies subdued him.
Leljedal said the deputy was justified in using the Taser, given Meier's extreme behavior.
''One deputy tried to get him out of traffic and off the road, but he fought him,'' Leljedal said. ``At that point, he had to find some sort of tool to manage him, and the most appropriate tool was the Taser.''
The stun gun -- commonly referred to as a Taser -- has been controversial since law enforcement began heavily using the device as a less-lethal weapon several years ago.
Police say there is no better weapon for quashing a tense situation without causing serious harm. Critics, such as Amnesty International, say it is too commonly used and has not been subjected to enough research.
An Amnesty International report released last December listed Broward County as one of the counties in the country where the most Taser-related deaths had occurred between 2001 and 2008.
Tuesday's incident, the third death of a Taser victim in BSO custody since the agency instituted the weapon, may have been fueled by drugs, Leljedal said.
An investigator with the Broward Medical Examiner's Office declined to discuss an autopsy performed Wednesday.
Leljedal said the autopsy showed no trauma or injuries other than minor scratches and Taser marks on Meier's right side.
His death appears to have been caused by cocaine toxicity or excited delirium, though a toxicology test has not been finalized, Leljedal said.
The death is under investigation by BSO homicide, crime scene and internal affairs detectives -- a standard policy, according to Leljedal. The deputy who Tasered Meier remains on active duty.
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