Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
An American citizen died in U.S. Border Patrol custody after paramedics erroneously concluded that he was faking a seizure, according to a medical examiner’s report, Al Jazeera reports.
Steven Keith, 58, died on Christmas at a Southern California checkpoint facility about 20 miles from the border.
The cause of Keith’s death is an overdose from methamphetamine, which may have been the result of him swallowing a packet of meth that broke in his digestive system.
When Keith arrived at the Campo Border Patrol Station on Christmas eve, a paramedic was asked to examine him because of “seizure-like activity.”
“The paramedic reportedly applied pressure to his shoulder area and initially assessed that he was faking a seizure. He was then left alone in the cell and continued to be monitored via camera,” the report said.
When a Border Patrol agent checked on Keith’s cell, he was “discovered lying unresponsive,” according to the report.
