Erratic acting man dies after being tackled by deputies

Zephyrhills, Florida - Pasco Sheriff's investigators are examining why an erratic-acting individual died after being taken into custody.

Sheriff's deputies were called to 39127 Pretty Pond Road in Zephyrhills for a welfare check on an individual. The parents of 37-year-old Thomas Wayne McGavern called because he was sweating profusely and claiming people were coming to get him.

Deputies found McGavern down the road from the residence claiming bugs were crawling on him and he was using his finger to shoot at the people he believed were coming to get him. Two deputies determined he fit the criteria for a Baker Act and tried to take him into custody, but he fought them. Three more deputies had to be called to subdue McGavern, a former military man and a bodybuilder. He was taken to the ground, handcuffed and his legs shackled to prevent him from fighting. Approximately 3-5 minutes after subduing him and continued efforts to calm him, he stopped breathing. Pasco Fire Rescue was already on the scene and began treating him and transported him to the local hospital where he was declared dead.

Preliminary information indicates the deputies acted according to policy. McGavern was not tazered, hit with batons or pepper sprayed. He was not injured nor were any deputies in the incident. Toxicology results could take up to six weeks to determine his cause of death.