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Eric Wayne Baker

Age : 52

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 04/04/2026

Location : University Drive and Dobson Road / Buena Apartments

City : Mesa

County : Maricopa

State : Arizona

Agency : Mesa Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Taser

Event : Died after police foot pursuit, physical restraint and multiple Taser deployments

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE:
Police attempted to stop Baker for allegedly riding a bicycle without a required front light.
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NARRATIVE:
On 04/04/2026, 52-year-old Eric Wayne Baker died following a Mesa Police Department foot pursuit and physical struggle during which officers struck him and deployed Tasers multiple times before handcuffing him at the Buena Apartments near University Drive and Dobson Road in Mesa, Arizona.
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The encounter began after Mesa police officers saw Baker riding a bicycle near University Drive and Dobson Road. Police alleged that his bicycle did not have the required front light and attempted to stop him for the equipment violation. Baker continued riding away.
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Two Mesa police officers pursued Baker on foot while another officer drove around the apartment complex in an effort to intercept him. Baker eventually crashed the bicycle and officers attempted to take him into custody.
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According to Mesa police, Baker physically struggled with officers for approximately one minute and 35 seconds. During the encounter officers used physical strikes and deployed Tasers multiple times. Three officers eventually restrained Baker and placed him in handcuffs.
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Witness video recorded portions of the encounter. Baker was visibly bloodied and could be heard repeatedly telling officers that he could not breathe. The video and witness accounts became significant points of dispute after his death as Baker's family questioned the amount of force used during an encounter that began over a bicycle-light violation.
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Police said approximately 45 seconds after Baker was handcuffed, officers rolled or placed him onto his side. Baker continued showing signs of medical distress and emergency medical personnel were requested.
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Baker was placed into an ambulance for transport to a hospital. During the ambulance trip, he became unconscious. Emergency personnel attempted resuscitation, but Baker died.
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Mesa Police Department subsequently released body-camera footage and a Critical Incident Community Briefing documenting portions of the pursuit, struggle, Taser deployments, restraint and medical response.
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Baker's family publicly questioned the officers' conduct and sought additional information about why the encounter escalated from an attempted stop for an alleged bicycle equipment violation to a prolonged physical struggle involving multiple officers, strikes and repeated Taser deployments. The family also cited Baker's statements that he could not breathe and questioned whether officers responded appropriately to his medical distress.
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Months after Baker's death, his family was still waiting for a final determination from the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner. Reporting in July 2026 stated that the medical examiner had not yet issued a final cause and manner of death. Cause of Death therefore remains Pending and should not be assigned to cardiac arrest, excited delirium, drug intoxication or any other mechanism without the Medical Examiner's findings.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The individual Mesa Police Department officers involved in the pursuit, physical struggle, strikes, Taser deployments and restraint have not been publicly identified in the sources located. Mesa police opened an administrative investigation into the officers' actions.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.azfamily.com/2026/04/07/mesa-police-reveal-timeline-what-happened-before-in-custody-death/
https://www.azfamily.com/2026/04/06/man-dies-after-struggle-with-mesa-police-during-arrest/
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/community-demands-answers-after-man-dies-in-mesa-police-custody
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/family-seeks-justice-one-month-after-man-dies-in-mesa-police-custody
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/man-dies-mesa-police-custody-following-bicycle-stop
https://maricopacountyattorney.org/563/First-Responder-Critical-Incident-Callou
https://www.univision.com/local/arizona-ktvw/edicion-digital-arizona/eric-baker-andaba-en-bicicleta-y-termino-muerto-bajo-custodia-policial-en-mesa-investigan-el-caso-video