The Adams County District Attorney said there is no evidence Adams County deputies committed a crime during the arrest of an out-of-control man who died after being subdued and handcuffed.
An autopsy by the coroner’s office found that Paul Egli, 46, suffered several non-fatal injuries during his Aug. 19 arrest outside a Super 8 motel, but ultimately his death was caused by cocaine-induced delirium.
Dave Young, 17th Judicial District district attorney, said in a letter to Sheriff Michael McIntosh there was no reasonable likelihood of proving that deputies, Geoff Coster, Joshua Padilla, Cory Engle and Lonn Trail, were guilty of any crimes.
“This review does not evaluate the appropriateness of the actions of the involved officers, whether police department policies were followed, or whether policies, practices, or training … were sufficient,” the letter said. “That evaluation is left to each individual agency.”
An assistant manager at the motel at 5888 N. Broadway checked-in Egli about 7:16 p.m.
A short time later, she called 911 after seeing Egli running toward her office wearing only his underwear.
When she told him, “You can’t come in here like that.” He responded, “What am I supposed to do?” and began running up and down motel stairs, according the Dec. 4 letter.
A guest at the motel who saw the arrest said Egli ran by him while he stood in the parking lot smoking a cigarette. A sheriff’s patrol car pulled alongside Egli and a deputy got out and began giving him orders.
The deputy grabbed one of Egli’s arms and forced him face down to the ground. He got a cuff on one wrist but was unable to gain control of the other arm, the witness said. A second deputy arrived and within a few seconds, officers were able to get him into the handcuffs, the witness said.
“Shortly after the male was handcuffed, the deputies rolled the male over and began performing CPR,” the witness said, according to the letter.
Following the incident, Coster told investigators with the Thornton Police Department that when he confronted Egli running between parked cars he told him, “do not make me chase you.”
Egli stopped with his back to the deputy. “The male was breathing heavily and sweating profusely,” according to the letter. Egli spun around when Coster tried to handcuff him and the deputy forced him to the ground.
He then laid across Egli’s shoulders and held both his wrists.
Trail arrived and saw Coster laying on top of the man who was grunting “and flailing his legs around.”
Padilla arrived and dropped to his knees to help handcuff Egli.
Padilla told investigators he grabbed Egli’s right arm and felt it tense as if he was flexing. Padilla “let go of the male’s right arm and delivered a knee strike as a distractive technique.”
Trail was able to get Egli’s left hand into a cuff.
The deputies rolled him over and sat him up against a wall. He had a bloody lip and his eyes were only partially open.
Believing the prisoner could have overdosed, Coster requested emergency medical service to respond to the scene.
As deputies were talking to Egli, he slouched forward, his breathing shallow and eyes closed. They removed the cuffs, placed him on his back and Engle began performing chest compressions.
An ambulance arrived and took Egli to a hospital.
The 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Investigation Team conducted the investigation into Egli’s death. The team is made up of detectives and crime scene technicians from District police agencies and investigators from the DA’s office.
Updated Jan. 6, 2018 at 2:57 p.m. Due to incorrect information from a source, Egli’s age was inaccurate. He was 46 years old.
