Jon Alex Merkle

Less-than-lethal force

A disgraced attorney with a chronic cocaine problem and a record of reckless behavior, Merkle was confronted by officers in an abandoned house after he'd run through several back yards, acting erratically. With a large stick he broke out windows, hit himself, and finally assaulted an officer trying to get him under control. Tasered, he turned blue and died shortly. The medical examiner laid the blame on the high levels of coke in his system.