METAIRIE, La. — The official cause of death for a 16-year-old boy in the custody of Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputies is now "pending further studies."
JP Corner's Office Chief Investigator Mark Bone confirmed an autopsy on the teen's body was completed on Wednesday.
But, he said pathologists need the results of blood, genetic and other tests along with heart and brain studies to determine exactly what killed him and those tests could take more than a month to complete.
In the meantime, Chris Grinstaff said learning that the teenager died, sent chills down his back.
Grinstaff was at a bank ATM in Metairie on Sunday afternoon when he heard screaming in the parking lot across the street.
He saw two people fighting outside the Laser Tag on Veterans Boulevard and decided to investigate.
Grinstaff he pulled out his cell phone, and hit record.
"The kid started swinging at what I thought was just another guy," Grinstaff said. "The cop pulled up and that's when he bit the cop and I heard the cop yelling at him."
The video shows the moments before the severely autistic boy died.
JP deputies were responding to reports that the teen was hitting and biting his father.
"(The 16-year-old) is hitting the dad, now he's hitting the cop. That's when I was like okay, something ain't right. (The deputy) just gently pushed the kid on the ground and the dad gets on top. The kid tries to bite the cop. That's when you see the cop hit him."
Grinstaff said the deputy hit the teen in the head and said don't bite me.
"He had the 16-year-old on the ground," Grinstaff said. "Had the handcuffs on him. Just had one knee into his back, gently because the kid wasn't fighting."
JPSO spokesman Captain Jason Rivarde said the boy suffered an apparent medical emergency during the arrest and became unresponsive.
Paramedics took the teen to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Rivarde said the sheriff's office would not be making any additional comments, at least for now.
The coroner's office did not release the teenager's name because of his age.
According to Mark Bone at the JP Coroner's Office, there was a private pathologist, hired by the boy's family, present at the autopsy.
Cause of death for teen who died in scuffle with dad, deputies, might take more than a month
Deputies were responding to reports that the teen was hitting and biting his father outside the business.