METAIRIE, La. — A video recorded by an eyewitness appears to show the moments before a 16-year-old boy died while in the custody of a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy Sunday.
A family friend said the boy was severely autistic.
JPSO Captain Jason Rivarde said the teenager was arrested after a deputy found his father with multiple bite wounds, including on his face. The sheriff's office was called after someone reported seeing the attack outside a business near Veterans and Power boulevards.
The sheriff's office said the teen "remained violent" and bit the deputy who was trying to take him into custody.
"The suspect suffered an apparent medical emergency during the arrest and became unresponsive," Rivarde said.
Paramedics took the teen to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The deputy was also treated at the hospital for a bite wound.
An eyewitness tells WWL-TV that he was nearby and heard screaming before recording a video of the arrest.
The encounter with deputies happened outside the Laser Tag facility in Metairie.
General Manager Ricky Dillard confirmed the teenager has "special needs."
“He was a long time guest and a lot of our crew members have personal relationships with him and his family," Dillard said. "It’s not easy. I wish we could give the parents a big hug.”
Dillard admits he and his staff are having a tough time dealing with the tragedy.
"They were our number one customers," Dillard said. "He loved being in our facility. He loved the bumpers cars and bowling alley. We all made a point of communicating with him because he was learning from this experience.”
Rivarde originally said an autopsy would be conducted Tuesday to determine the teenager's cause of death, but that autopsy has been pushed back to Wednesday, Jan. 22.
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