Man dies in Joliet police custody after bag of cocaine is found in his mouth: police

A man who died in Joliet police custody allegedly had a medical emergency after officers found a bag of cocaine hidden in his mouth, police say.

Officers arrested the 38-year-old man Tuesday afternoon on drug-related charges, Joliet police said in a statement.

When officers arrived at the police station at 4:17 p.m., the man refused to exit the squad car, at which point officer found drugs hidden in his mouth, police said.

As the officer tried to remove “a large bag of suspected cocaine” from his mouth, he began to have a medical emergency, police said.

He was given medical aid at the scene, and later taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Joliet, where he was treated in an ICU and died about 3 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

The Major Crimes Task Force is handling the investigation, police said.

The Will County coroner’s office has not released details about the death.