SAN MARCOS POLICE DEPARTMENT
More details were released about the man who died in the custody of San Marcos Police on Tuesday.
SMPD held a press conference on Thursday disclosing more detail about the events.
Dennis Thornton, 43, of Leander, died at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa - San Marcos hospital at 8:20 p.m. on Aug. 6. After receiving 51 minutes of medical treatment.
According to San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge, the incident began at 6:59 p.m. with the first of 12 911 calls reporting an individual acting erratically on the Posey Road overpass above Interstate 35.
“Specifically citizens reported as follows,” Standridge said, quoting a 911 caller. “‘I was getting off the interstate to get to the mall, and when I got off the interstate, I noticed a guy, so I slowed down, because he's right there on that bridge, and he had a bag, and it looked like he was swinging it and was going to throw it at my windshield, but then he almost fell. So I don't know if he's drunk or out of it or what, but he almost got hit by another … car.’” Another caller reported that they thought the man was trying to jump off the overpass.
The first SMPD officer arrived 11 minutes later. Standridge confirmed that the officer’s body camera was recording. He also confirmed that, at the time of the press conference, the officer had not been interviewed about the incident, which is consistent with the city’s Meet and Confer agreement with San Marcos Police that allows officers 48 hours before being interviewed following such an incident.
Thornton was found leaning on the inside barrier that separates the northbound and southbound lanes of the interstate. When asked if he was OK, Thornton responded with “unintelligible noises.”
He continued to respond to questioning in the same manner.
“For reasons that we will likely never know, Mr. Thornton suddenly turned and charged at the officer,” Standridge said. “And then he stopped as suddenly as he started, whereupon he once again leaned on the barrier.”
The officer backed up and ordered Thornton to the ground. When he refused, the officer tased him.
“The Taser was effective,” Standridge said, describing the incident. “It caused muscular incapacitation, and so Mr. Thornton fell on his left side. He did not strike his head. He fell on his left side. He immediately tries to get back up. At that point, there are two officers on scene, and they begin to physically struggle with him. They are trying to keep him in a down position versus him getting back up. They were able to apply the first handcuff, and almost literally two full minutes later, they were finally able to get the second handcuff because of his resistance.”
Once he was handcuffed, officers applied a “wrap restraint,” which Standridge said can be used to control violent or potentially violent individuals.
This occurred while officers and Thornton were still in the center of the interstate. Other emergency vehicles often used for traffic control in such situations, like a firetruck or ambulance, had not yet arrived at the scene so traffic was still flowing.
“Due to Mr. Thornton’s behavior, he was immediately transported to the closest hospital. Standridge confirmed that officers brought him to the hospital as opposed to waiting for the ambulance. Standridge said he didn’t believe that was standard procedure.
“In fact, if we believe that we have a medical emergency, the faster we can pass that patient off to the EMS, the better off we are. We won't definitively know what the officer was thinking until the officer is interviewed. I can look at the video, and I can surmise that they are many minutes into this. They're applying the wrap. They're realizing this person probably needs to be a patient, not a prisoner. Fire and EMS are not on scene. Time is of the essence. So I can only speculate that the officer decided, ‘I'm going to immediately get him to the hospital.’” At the hospital, Standridge said that officers learned Thornton had a temperature of 108 degrees.
The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Aug. 7. Standridge said it usually takes three months to receive a final report.
Since the incident occurred, SMPD has learned that Thornton may have been on drugs when the incident occurred. During the investigation, SMPD learned that Thornton had been at Resolute Baptist Hospital in New Braunfels with his girlfriend for a planned appointment for her.
She told police that the night before, Thornton allegedly left the home and consumed alcohol and drugs. She said his “state of intoxication” was still evident on Tuesday when they went to the appointment. Standridge did not disclose what drugs were allegedly taken.
Hospital staff at Resolute called the New Braunfels Police at the girl friend’s request. SMPD, which viewed video evidence from the hospital, said that Thornton “left the viewable area” of the hospital at 1:47 p.m. prior to New Braunfels Police arriving at the hospital. While Standridge said they believe Thornton then began walking toward San Marcos, as he did not take the vehicle he and his girlfriend had used to get to the hospital, but that at this point they were not sure of how he got to the Posey Road overpass.
The high reported on Tuesday was 100 degrees.
San Marcos EMS Deputy Chief Jim Swisher was on hand to answer medical questions, though he did not treat the patient. He called Thornton’s 108-degree temperature “off the charts.”
“The body really starts shutting down about 105,” Swisher said. “… We come across people like this, where we know he’s on the interstate. We know he’s been there for a while. We know that heat index is off the charts, so that increased temperature is of concern for us. … “The increased temperature starts affecting the brain. It starts reducing your cognitive thought. And then if you have any medical issues, underlying medical issues, all those are magnified. If you have any psychological issues, those are magnified.”
He said in cases like this, they think of “excited delirium” also called hyperactive delirium “because of the bizarre behavior, because of the aggressive behavior.”
He confirmed that the call for EMS was canceled before they reached the scene because the officer had already made the decision to transport Thornton to the hospital himself.
Standridge also said that Thornton’s bag was not immediately recovered. An individual found it, and posted a notice on social media hoping to find the owner. The city of San Marcos communication director saw the social media post and alerted the police, who were able to obtain the bag. He did not disclose the contents of the bag.
There are three concurrent investigations into the incident. There is an independent investigation by the Texas Rangers. There is an investigation by the SMPD Criminal Investigations Division and a third by the SMPD’s Office of Professional Conduct.
