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N.Y. Attorney General Launches Investigation Into Taser Death Of Bronx Man

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York's attorney general will investigate the death of an emotionally disturbed man who died after being subdued by a police officer with a Taser.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Saturday that the office has opened an investigation into the death of Ariel Galarza in the Bronx on Wednesday.

Police said the 49-year-old Galarza threatened officers with a bottle before a sergeant deployed his Taser twice. Galarza went into cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Schneiderman's office has the power to investigate deaths of unarmed people at the hands of police.

Sanford Rubenstein, an attorney for Galarza's family, called Schneiderman's decision to investigate the death "a positive first step." 

"This is not the first time someone has died from being Tasered not once but twice," Rubenstein told WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz.

But Rubenstein said a grand jury should consider bringing criminal charges.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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