SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The man who died shortly after being tased and detained by San Diego County Sheriff's (SDSO) deputies has been identified.
Valley Center resident Kristopher Michael Birtcher, 34, was shot with a stun gun Saturday, Oct. 14, after employees at a San Marcos Hobby Lobby store said Birtcher was staggering around and possibly under the influence, according to deputies.
SDSO arrived with a Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) clinician and attempted to make contact with Birtcher around 3:45 p.m. Saturday. Deputies said Birtcher became uncooperative, forcing the deputies to attempt to restrain him.
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Birtcher was shot with a stun gun and detained with hand and leg restraints but continued to struggle with deputies and spit at them, SDSO said.
Birtcher was also given the overdose drug Naloxone by deputies who believed him to be under the influence. He died though at a local hospital emergency room at about 4:30 p.m.
The SDSO deputies involved in the incident were named as deputies Drew Beatty (4-year deputy), Adrian Carrillo (4-year deputy), Roland Garza (4-year deputy), Joseph Kodadek (7-year deputy), John Robledo (5-year deputy), Scott Rossall (5-year deputy), Frank Stalzer(9-year deputy), and Scott Winter (4-year deputy).
Birtcher's autopsy is pending the results of a toxicology report.
Anyone with information is asked to call SDSO's Homicide Detail at 858-974-2321, after hours at 858-565-5200, or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
