Family of Man Resisting Arrest Says 'Unknown Drug' Used to Sedate Him Put Him in a Coma

A Florida man was face-down in a pool of his own blood, resisting arrest before a firefighter gave him a sedative to calm him down. The incident, captured on camera by a witness, ended with the suspect in a coma that his family says he might not come out of.

According to WPBF-TV, Tavares Docher called 911 from a Port St. Lucie CVS store Sunday, but when authorities arrived, they found he was intoxicated, unsteady and holding a screwdriver. It took a couple of deputies to bring the man down, but even as he lay bleeding, he still resisted.

"Stop resisting. Keep your arms still," a St. Lucie County deputy said in the video, while one officer had his foot on Docher's back. "We're trying to get you medical help."

Image source: YouTube

Image source: YouTube

The police report alleged that Docher kicked and bit officers while he resisted being handcuffed.

A witness told the news station that he heard the man saying, "Don't let them kill me."

Eventually, the 29-year-old was given a sedative, but it appears the drug may have caused a reaction that put Docher in a coma.

But that's not the end of the story. Docher was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but his next of kin, his aunt, said after she learned of the incident, it took her days to find out where he was.

"They say he's in the hospital, but I want to see him. I need to know if he's alive," June Docher told the news station, which noted that the man is mentally ill. "I asked if could I go visit him, [the detectives] said no. What hospital is he in? He wouldn't even tell me that."

Eventually, June Docher was given three possible hospitals and found the one where Tavares Docher had been in a coma for two days.

"I believe they done did something awful to him, and that’s the reason I can’t go see him," June Docher she told the news station. "I can’t put my eyes on him."

June Docher told WPBF that nurses said the coma was induced by a reaction to the sedative and that they weren't sure if Tavares Docher would make it. The news station reported that the arrest affidavit called the sedative an "unknown drug."

Watch WPBF-TV's report, which includes footage of the arrest:

Docher faces charges of resisting an officer with violence, battery of an officer, firefighter or EMT, disorderly intoxication and attempted escape, according to WPBF.