Unarmed man driving his own car dies after being pulled over for stolen vehicle

David Glen Ward

David Glen Ward, an unarmed 52-year-old man from Petaluma, California, died Wednesday after a confrontation with police. The police were responding to a three-day-old report of a carjacked, stolen vehicle. Police later realized that David Glen Ward was the owner of the vehicle they stopped.

According to the Santa Rosa Police Department, Ward initially stopped when he was pulled over just before 6 AM but then took off, leading the police on a seven-minute high-speed chase. The chase ended with police boxing Ward’s vehicle in on a dead-end street. Police say Ward never stated that he was the owner of the vehicle.

The ensuing struggle, according to police, included biting and window-breaking and kicking as officers attempted to pull Ward through his car widow. This all ended after Ward was tased and then 19-year police veteran Charlie Blount reached in and put Ward in a carotid restraint—a hold over the carotid artery in the neck—at which point Ward became unconscious, and he was pulled from his vehicle and handcuffed. It was shortly after this struggle that the four police officers realized Ward was no longer breathing and reportedly began CPR. Medical support appeared on the scene around 6:21 AM, and Ward was pronounced dead at Petaluma Valley Hospital at 7:17 AM. One hour after his vehicle was stopped, David Glen Ward was dead because police believed he had stolen his own car.

Ward’s family has spoken out now, and finds the police officers’ story hard to believe. They tell The Press Democrat that Ward was not in good health, with trouble walking due to being hit by a drunk driver 20 years ago. Ward’s mother told the paper that Ward used a wheelchair and carried an oxygen tank after developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as a heart condition. Ward’s half-sister Catherine Aguilera explains her skepticism at the police officer’s account of what happened, saying “He had a hard time breathing and it’s hard to imagine him having even the energy or force to aggressively avoid an arrest.”

Police officers recorded the stopped vehicle at 6:02 AM. A call to the dispatcher at 6:10 AM shows officers had noticed Ward “appeared” to no longer be breathing and began administering CPR. In the eight minutes it took police to get out of their cars and begin fighting with Ward through his vehicle windows, Ward was effectively mortally wounded, if not already dead.

A police officer must have training to apply a carotid hold, and Santa Rosa Police Lt. Dan Marincik told reporters that he did not know if Officer Blount received that training. According to Santa Rosa police, the carotid hold is only to be used when a suspect is considered violent and may harm either themselves or someone else, since the hold’s use is specifically for rendering someone unconscious.

Ward would have turned 53 this coming Friday. The four officers involved in the death of David Glen Ward have been placed on an administrative review.