Witnesses say an off-duty police officer chased a suspected shoplifter from Home Depot at Forest-Central on Tuesday morning, across Forest Lane and back to the other side before putting the 20-something man in a choke hold. The suspect then lost consciousness and later was pronounced dead at Medical City.

Our photographer Benjamin Hager arrived while TV crews were interviewing Dallas Police Department spokesperson Lt. David Pughes, who didn’t have many specifics at the time, but who told reporters that the choke hold is warranted in cases where an officer feels threatened, and that an investigation is underway.

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