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Man dies after struggle with Fairfax County police officers Man dies after struggle with Fairfax County police officers
(about 5 hours later)
A man died after a struggle with Fairfax County police officers who were attempting to take him into custody Wednesday afternoon, police said. A mentally challenged man died Wednesday afternoon after a struggle with Fairfax County police officers who were trying to take him into custody and take him back to his group home, police said.
The incident began when officers were dispatched to Round Tree Park in Falls Church just before 1 p.m. for a report of a "critical missing man," who had wandered from the park on foot, police said. Officers located the man and were attempting to return to him to a caretaker when the struggle ensued, police said. The incident began when officers were dispatched to Roundtree Park in Falls Church just before 1 p.m. on a report of a “critical missing man” who had wandered away during an outing with his program, Chief Edwin C. Roessler said at an evening news conference.
During the struggle, police said the man experienced a medical emergency. Rescue units responded and transported the man to Inova Fairfax Hospital while performing CPR. The man died soon after arriving at the hospital. The man was identified as Paul A. Gianelos, 45, police said, and an officer found him about a mile away along a commercial strip about 1:02 p.m.
Police did not immediately release the man's identity, explain the nature of his medical emergency or offer additional details about the incident. The officer talked with Gianelos and called to have a caregiver come for him. But police said that before Gianelos could be reunited with the caregiver, Gianelos suddenly attacked the officer, who called for backup.
Police said detectives and personnel from the Internal Affairs Bureau are investigating the incident. “For unknown reasons, Mr. Gianelos became physically combative,” Roessler said.
Police officials will hold a news conference at 7 p.m. at police headquarters in Fairfax to give an update on the incident. Three additional officers arrived, helped restrain Gianelos and handcuffed him. Roessler described Gianelos as being 5-foot-9 and 280 pounds, and he said that officials do not think that officers used any weapons to take him into custody. Roessler said he thought that Gianelos was unarmed.
After the struggle, police said officers called for a medic at 1:06 p.m. to treat a scrape on the man’s head, Roessler said.
When medics arrived, Gianelos collapsed into apparent cardiac arrest, Roessler said. Medics began CPR at 1:17 p.m. and took him to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he died soon after arriving.
Officials did not specify the man’s condition before the struggle, and they did not say why he was a client of the group home. Police did not identify the home but said it is a private, nonprofit program.
Roessler said the officer who found Gianelos is a veteran of more than 20 years and is a trained crisis-intervention officer with experience in dealing with people with mental challenges and disabilities.
“The goal of the officer was to reunite the man with his caregiver,” Roessler said. “He understands disability and agitation.”
Police did not immediately explain the nature of Gianelos’s medical emergency. An autopsy will be performed.
The death is being investigated by the major crimes division, and the police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the incident to ensure that policies and procedures were followed.
“We are deeply saddened by his loss,” Roessler said. “This is just a tragic episode.”