Man who dies after Reno arrest was high on coke

RENO, Nev. - A man who died after a police chase in Reno was high on cocaine, which may have contributed to his death, according to Deputy Chief Jim Weston.

"You combine the cocaine or narcotics and a high level of vigorous exercise and they die on you," Weston said at a news conference on Thursday.

A blood test made at Washoe Medical Center showed cocaine in the blood of Darryl Daniels. An autopsy performed on Thursday will determine how much of the drug Daniels had taken. Weston said results of the toxicology scan could take as long as six weeks to complete.

Daniels, 30, was wanted by Douglas County authorities for savagely beating his estranged wife. He was arrested late Wednesday after a chase through Reno that reached speeds up to 60 mph and ended with a brief foot pursuit after he crashed his stolen truck at a police roadblock.

He was taken to police headquarters for questioning, where one of the arresting officers decided that he "didn't look good," and called paramedics, Weston said. Daniels was taken to the hospital where he died around midnight, about six hours after he was arrested.

Weston said he was alive when he left the police station.

"Paramedics will not transport a person when he's dead," he said.

He added that there were no marks on the man's body as a result of the arrest.

Daniels was being sought in Tuesday's attack on Kari Daniels, 31, at her home in Zephyr Cove.

She is recovering from severe facial injuries from the kicking and beating.

Kari Daniels is a former employee of the Tahoe Rim Trail group and had faced sentencing Aug. 18 in Douglas District Court on her guilty plea of taking more than $5,000 from the nonprofit organization.

Weston said the three officers involved in the chase and arrest would be on routine leave for two or three days while they undergo psychological screening to determine whether they had been adversely affected by the man's death.

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