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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Salt Lake City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the FBI and the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union all have interest in the death of a man whom police purportedly wrestled to the ground, hit with clubs, pepper sprayed and Tasered.
The Salt Lake NAACP branch called for a "full investigation" into the death Friday night of Alvin Itula, 35.
Jeanetta Williams, president of the branch, said the organization will ask officials to determine whether Itula's civil rights were violated.
Itula, who was Samoan, may have been treated harshly because of his race, she said.
Williams said she already has spoken with police Chief Chris Burbank and plans to ask the U.S. attorney's office to review the case after the Salt Lake County district attorney completes his investigation.
The FBI, which investigates complaints of excessive police force and civil rights cases, is "evaluating the situation now," spokesman Patrick Kiernan said. "I can't say we've formally opened a case yet."
The Utah ACLU chapter wants the mayor and police chief to review the guidelines governing the use of Tasers.
"This incident is just the most recent example of the real dangers of Taser use, which need to be fully studied before (Tasers) are allowed to be used in intermediate force situations," said ACLU Executive Director Dani Eyer.
Patrick Thronson, a spokesman for Mayor Rocky Anderson, declined to comment on the incident because it remains under investigation.
The state medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of death, and a representative said it could be weeks before all of the test results are in.
Police approached Itula about 8:15 p.m. Friday after mistakenly believing he still was wanted on an arrest warrant. Police said Itula tried to flee and began to fight with the officers.
The four officers involved in the incident are on paid administrative leave while the case is investigated by the police department and 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.)
