A video captured by the body cameras of two cops in southern Illinois last month reportedly shows a naked man, allegedly high on the drug flakka, violently thrashing around his home, flipping over furniture, banging into walls, yelling, and avoiding all attempts by police to subdue him.
The two police officers used stun guns to try to get control of Stephen Berkeley, 51, whom they say was in a state of “excited delirium” caused by the drug — symptoms include agitation, anxiety, high body temperature, and hallucinations — and called for medical assistance, according to police chief William Southerd of Christopher, Illinois.
But it was too late, Southerd said. Berkeley died of an overdose. An investigator at the scene noted the bruises on Berkeley’s body and the two officers nearby, and said the death would have been suspicious if not for the body camera videos showing Berkeley’s demeanor, Southerd said.
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By Colleen Curry, VICE