Authorities in Arkansas are investigating after a man became unresponsive while in police custody and died hours later.
Phillip Jerriel Moore, 23, of Fayetteville had been stopped around 9:45 p.m. Monday for ignoring a stop sign at South West Avenue and West Prairie Street in Fayetteville, the Fayetteville Police Department said in a news release.
While authorities searched his black Nissan Versa because of an "odor of marijuana," Moore fled on foot and later surrendered after being found hiding in brush along railroad tracks at South University Avenue, according to authorities.
Responding officers then placed Moore into the back of a patrol vehicle and requested an ambulance to evaluate him after he complained that "his legs weren’t working," police said. He also reported difficulty breathing.
After emergency personnel evaluated him at the scene, Moore was released for transport to the Washington County jail.
Officers noted that they became concerned after he stopped responding to them while on the way to the jail and requested emergency medical attention for Moore.
Moore was rushed to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, where he was pronounced dead Tuesday morning, police said.
“The source of Moore’s medical emergency while in police custody was undetermined, though it was not believed to be related to a use of force by police,” the release states.
The Washington County sheriff’s office has been requested to complete an independent investigation into Moore’s death, and the Fayetteville Police Department will also conduct a separate internal investigation.
Moore's body will be sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock to determine a cause of death.