The Colonie Police Department is trying to blame anabolic steroids for a man’s bizarre and violent rampage at the Gold’s Gym in Latham. The man went into cardiac arrest and subsequently died after multiple shocks from police stun guns were required to subdue the 6’1″, 240 pound bodybuilder. Police did not know if steroids were involved but specifically requested that a toxicology screen for anabolic steroids be included in the autopsy.
“We will be asking the pathologist that does the autopsy, which is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock, to do a full and complete drug screen, which includes any type of steroid medications of any kind,” according to Colonie Police Chief Steven Heider.
Chad Brothers had entered the Gold’s Gym facility in the early morning hours in an annoyed, highly agitated mood while mumbling incoherently according to witnesses. He fell off the treadmill shortly after arriving, turned up the speed on another patron’s treadmill and punched him in the face before upending gym equipment and tossing weights around the gym. Brothers knocked over computers, office equipment, toppled 700 pound weight equipment and threw 45 pound free weight plates in a gym where approximately 30 clients were training.
A female Colonie Police officer arrived on the scene and ordered the man to get on the ground. The crazed man refused and threw boxes at the officer. The police officer attempted to subdue him with a Taser gun that embedded two electrode prongs into Brothers’ thigh and chest. The officer was unable to handcuff the muscular man before he arose with her on his back. Two to three gym members assisted two addition police officers in trying to subdue the man. After four or five shocks from the stun gun, the man went into cardiac arrest. The man died at the Albany Medical Center less than an hour later.
If the toxicology results confirm the presence of anabolic steroids in the deceased man’s system, the police, the media and the general public will be quick to blame steroids and categorize this as another instance of “roid rage”. The presence of any pre-existing medical or psychiatric condition and/or any other drugs will likely only be mentioned as a footnote.
Source:
Walsh, G. (October 31, 2o11). Upstate NY gym rampage leads to death of man jolted in struggle with officers using Tasers. Retrieved from http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/72e88cdfe82e478c9fa580751909bd47/US–Gym-Brawl-Stun-Guns/
McVey, C. (October 31, 2011). UPDATE: Man dies after rage incident at Gold’s Gym. Retrieved from http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Man-dies-after-incident-at-Golds-Gym/
