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Man fighting officer died of meth overdose
Lisa Z

A suspect who became unresponsive while fighting a law enforcement officer for his gun died of a meth overdose, the medical examiner’s report has revealed.


District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis said she received the report from the Tennessee Medical Examiner on Tuesday morning pertaining to the death of Alexander Webb, 30.


Webb died Sept. 14 while actively engaged in a struggle with a Warren County Sheriff’s Department officer for his gun, which had been knocked to the ground.


“He died of too much meth in his system, meth toxicity,” said Zavogiannis. “Law enforcement was not at all responsible for his death.”


Questions surrounded Webb’s death on the afternoon of Sept. 14 when he led officers on a vehicle chase atop Harrison Ferry Mountain after being spotted driving a stolen SUV.


Webb ran off the side of Harrison Ferry Road and crashed next to the gun range atop the mountain. He fled on foot into a wooded area across the road and was chased by deputies for around 10 minutes before he was nabbed.


“He was caught and in the process of being handcuffed when the officer’s gun came out of the holster and was on the ground,” said Zavogiannis. “There was a struggle, the officer put him in a hold, and he collapsed.”


Zavogiannis said the physical exertion in fighting for the gun, coupled with the lethal amount of meth in his system, likely played a role in his death as Webb experienced a number of atypical events in a short time that included crashing at high speeds, fleeing on foot, and then fighting.