Man dies after struggle at county clinic

Published Feb. 9, 2010 at 5:08 p.m.
A man died Monday after struggling with and being restrained by security guards at a Mecklenburg County Health Department clinic, police said.

Police officers were called about 11 a.m. to deal with a disturbance at the facility at 2845 Beatties Ford Road.

The clinic offers a range of medical services, such as testing for sexually transmitted diseases, immunizations and tuberculosis treatment.

Investigators say a man came in, apparently to receive health care, then slipped into the employees' work area. An employee found the man going through workers' belongings, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.

Security guards were called, and there was a struggle when they tried to apprehend the man. Security at the facility is provided by a private contractor.

Guards pinned him to the ground and soon noticed he was unresponsive, police said. It was not clear how long the struggle lasted or how many guards were involved.

Paramedics were called and pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Police did not release more details, but homicide detectives and crime scene investigators were still on the scene Monday afternoon talking to witnesses and collecting evidence. The clinic has security cameras, and investigators are looking at the tapes.

"There is no indication of any trauma or any visible injuries," CMPD spokesman Officer Robert Fey said in a statement.

Police have identified the man but withheld his name pending family notification.

Mecklenburg Health Department director Dr. E. Winters Mabry said this is the only such incident he can recall at one of the county's clinics.

"The security has been extremely reliable," Mabry said of the guards. "We've never had - at least in the five years I've been health director - any sort of incident like this."

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