LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Times reported today that a spokesman for the Office of the Los Angeles Coroner has said that before a cause of death can be listed on the death certificate for Marland Anderson, who performed in adult films under the name Sledge Hammer, toxicology tests will first need to be completed, a process that may take several weeks.
Wednesday, it was revealed that the coroner would need to defer a cause of death determination until the completion of "tests that could include toxicology, histology, pathology or collection of investigative reports." The autopsy was performed Tuesday but was obviously not definitive.
According to police accounts of the April 8 altercation that apparently took place between several officers and Anderson, it took two shows from a Taser and six to eight officers to subdue the 6-foot-1 gentle giant, whose girlfriend had called 911 after he began threatening himself with a knife.
In the aftermath of being subdued by officers after he reportedly became extremely agitated in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Anderson suffered cardiac arrest and fell into a coma. He died without regaining consciousness after his mother made the decision to remove him from life support.
A private memorial for Anderson will be held Sunday afternoon. Members of the industry who knew Anderson are invited to attend and can email [email protected] for more information.
