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MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man is near death after police tried to subdue him late Friday, July 27th. Officers were called to a group home where 31-year-old John Kriewaldt apparently became violent and was destroying property.
Police say Kriedwaldt started hitting his head on a pole in the back of a police squad. They took him out of the squad car and laid him down, and that's when he vomited. Paramedics were called, but Kriedwaldt's family says he may have choked.
On Monday, July 30th, the executive director of Bell Therapy, the company that runs the group home, issued a statement. It says Bell Therapy is bound by medical privacy law, but can confirm there was a "crisis that limited our ability to safely provide care."
Chris Walters, a supervisor at Paratech, says he's been on many calls where mental health patients become violent. Medical responders always wait until police first make the situation safe before they step in.
"There's a condition called excited delirium that does initially present as a mental health type. It is a medical condition that, if unrecognized, could compound the problems and it has been know to lead to cardiac arrest on some patients," Walters said.
In Kriewaldt's case, an ambulance was called.
Kriewaldt's mother, Helen, wants people to know her son was a sweet, loving man who liked to bowl, play basketball and watch Jeopardy. She says he was doing well in the Bell Therapy group home. However, his mental illness made him prone to those violent outbursts. Helen said Kriewaldt was about to try new medication in an effort to control his violent outbursts.
Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.
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