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OAKLAND — A 45-year-old man restrained and Tased by Oakland police last fall after he allegedly resisted arrest and attacked an officer died accidentally from “excited delirium syndrome,” according to an autopsy report obtained exclusively by the Bay Area News Group.

The cause-of-death finding — associated almost exclusively with in-custody law enforcement deaths and often linked to Tasers — has fueled outrage by his widow and activists upset over the death of Marcellus Toney, an Oakland truck driver who died Sept. 28 after a police encounter.

“My thoughts are that’s bull(expletive),” said Toney’s wife, Lamesha Toney. “My thoughts are they made that up as a cause of death. There’s a lot of people getting killed by Tasers. A lot of people killed by police.”

While the syndrome may be foreign to most people, it has been cited historically in medical texts, some experts say. Records compiled by an Amnesty International researcher show that the syndrome was cited as the cause of death in 75 of 330 Taser-related incidents in the previous decade. The condition can occur after an intense struggle triggers a flight-or-fight response in people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, creating adrenaline and causing the heart to race.

Critics say the syndrome is a way to deflect attention from police misconduct and the dangers of Tasers, while proponents say it’s a well-documented medical condition that police often encounter.

Alameda County medical examiner Judy Melinek also listed acute alcohol and methamphetamine intoxication as a cause, and cardiovascular disease, obesity and chronic cocaine abuse as contributing factors.

“If that is what they are saying the cause of death is, that solidifies the assertion that he was tased to death,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Oakland-based Anti Police-Terror Project, which held a protest over Toney’s death at Oakland police headquarters in November. “Tasers being promoted as less-lethal weapons for law enforcement is a fallacy.”

At 2:21 p.m. Sept. 28, Oakland police responded to a car crash at Foothill Boulevard and 42nd Avenue, finding a flipped car with victims bleeding inside. About two minutes later, they found Toney attempting to board a bus, according to dispatch audio reviewed by this news agency.

“OPD contacted Toney, who admitted causing the accident and being ‘High as (expletive),’ ” according to the autopsy report. “Toney was tased after resisting arrest and ‘bear hugging’ an officer.”

A hospital report, also obtained by this news agency, found that Toney was Tased four times, and the autopsy report indicated that after paramedics arrived, Toney was sedated and placed in four-point restraints “due to agitation” before transport to Highland Hospital. Doctors worked to restart Toney’s heart on the way to the hospital and in the emergency room, before he was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m., according to the report.

Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said the case was still open and being investigated by her department’s internal affairs and investigation divisions, as well as the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

“A private viewing of case information, evidence and video was made to the immediate family and legal counsel of Mr. Toney. A copy of the Alameda County Coroner’s autopsy report was also provided,” she said. “No further information is releasable at this time.”

Civil rights attorney John Burris, who represented Toney’s family as recently as November, confirmed that police shared the evidence.

“I have seen it. I have also seen video around it,” Burris said. “My firm is not representing them anymore, and I advised (the family) on that.”

Toney’s widow said she has a new attorney and thinks that police are trying to “sweep the whole thing under the rug.”

Melinek’s office referred questions to the Alameda County’s coroner’s office, and spokesman Ray Kelly said his department stands by the pathologist’s finding. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said the case was still under review.

In her report, Melinek recorded that the two Taser probe puncture marks were found at Toney’s lower right chest and upper right abdomen, 16 centimeters from the edge of his heart.

Toney had varying levels of alcohol, cocaine metabolite and methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death, according to the toxicology report.

In a Paramedics Plus report, the paramedic reported arriving at the scene and finding four to five Oakland police and firefighters attempting to restrain Toney, reporting: “(Patient) was fighting them vigorously and was combative and agitated despite being in handcuffs.”

Vincent Di Maio, a retired forensic pathologist who has written a book on excited delirium, described the syndrome to New Jersey Advance Media, saying the combination of drugs, a major struggle and an intense adrenaline rush can overwhelm the heart, causing it to stop.

“The original idea was noted in 1849 — if you go to medical literature, it shows up again and again over the years,” Di Maio told the Washington Post. “There’s no major scientific objection to it.”

Excited delirium is accepted by the National Association of Medical Examiners and the American College of Emergency Physicians. However, the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association have not weighed in, according to a Washington Post report.

Dr. Michael Baden — a former chief medical examiner for New York City who has conducted private autopsies in high-profile cases, such as Michael Brown — said excited delirium has split the medical examiner field.

“It’s a unique kind, a boutique kind of death only occurring when law enforcement is involved,” Baden said. “I have my doubts on it.”

Amnesty International has tracked Tasers and the excited delirium issue. The group is no longer calling for a moratorium on Tasers but rather national guidelines on when they can be used, including against people in restraints.

“It’s basically excluding whether or not the Taser was the cause of the death without saying as much,” said Amnesty International researcher Justin Mazzola. “We’re concerned those deaths are being glossed over … Tasers are not not lethal. They are less lethal but potentially lethal.”

Related Articles “We need medical for Taser deployment”: Man dies after Oakland cop tasering In June 2015, Rakeem Rucks, 34, of Antioch, died after a struggle with police. He went into cardiac arrest while police attempted to put leg restraints on him, according to his autopsy report.

His death was ruled an accident, and “excited delirium” was mentioned in his autopsy report. His family has taken the first step toward a lawsuit.

Lamesha Toney said she was in the process of divorcing Marcellus, but the pair lived together and she still loved the Goodwill driver.

“Whether he relapsed or not, he didn’t deserve to die,” she said.