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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A man who died while being subdued by police had a history of running from officers.
Alvin Itula, 35, was in his yard Friday night when two officers approached the house and identified themselves as gang unit officers, said Itula's wife, Penina White.
Itula, who was afraid and distrustful of police, took off running, White said.
"I just kept yelling at him to stop and he just kept saying he didn't do anything," she said.
The officers, who called for backup, tried to arrest Itula but he resisted, said police spokeswoman Robin Snyder.
Officers first used pepper spray and batons to try to subdue the man, and when he continued to fight, a Taser was used, Snyder said.
She did not know if multiple Tasers were used or how many times the man may have been hit.
White said one officer held down Itula's head with her foot, another placed his foot on his neck, a third was on Itula's back and a fourth restrained his legs.
She said she believes the officers fired their Taser guns four to five times.
Itula repeatedly told the officers he couldn't breathe, White said. She heard one respond, "Well if you're talking, you can breathe."
She said Itula stopped struggling, an officer kneeled down and found his pulse was faint. The officers started CPR and called paramedics, who used a defibrillator on Itula before taking him to the hospital.
Itula had a history of trying to get away from police.
In 2002, he was charged with failure to stop and respond at the command of police, a third-degree felony, and interfering with a legal arrest, a Class B misdemeanor, among other charges, according to court records.
Two years later, Itula was also charged with assault against a police officer, a Class B misdemeanor.
The former case dragged on for years, and on April 11, when Itula failed to appear at a preliminary hearing on the charges, a warrant was issued for his arrest. On April 17, Itula appeared before a judge and the warrant was recalled, according to court records.
White said she told police officers Itula's warrant was cleared as they wrestled with him, but they didn't double check their information with dispatch until he was taken away in an ambulance.
Snyder said the four officers involved in the incident are on paid administrative leave while the case is investigated by the police department and Salt Lake County district attorney.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
