Man who died during Tacoma arrest was heading for snack after church, friends say
Manuel Ellis centered his life around church.
The 33-year-old was an addict who found salvation in God and desperately wanted to share that with loved ones. He’d recently been diagnosed with mental health issues but was striving for a brighter future, preferably one where he could do landscaping.
On Tuesday, the night he died, Ellis played drums at Last Day Ministries and was so moved he called his brother, sister and mother individually to share the joy.
“It was a good conversation,” his sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, told The News Tribune on Thursday. “He was in a good place, and he felt spiritually lifted. Every time I talked to my brother, it was nothing but positive. He was facing his demons head on and taking it day by day.”
Ellis last spoke to his mother, hanging up around 10:30 p.m.
His landlord, Kimberly Mays, remembers Ellis being moved by the church’s revival and talking about how much he wanted his family to attend service with him.
Ellis hung out with Mays and her husband after church, then left before 11 p.m. to walk to a nearby convenience store for a snack.
He never made it home.
Police say Ellis approached a Tacoma patrol car at the intersection of 96th Street South and Ainsworth Avenue and repeatedly struck the vehicle. The two officers inside notified dispatch they needed priority dispatch, then got out of the car.
Ellis attacked the officers and struggled for several minutes before police were able to handcuff him, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
Within a minute of firefighters arriving on scene, Ellis stopped breathing and lost consciousness.
Paramedics performed CPR for about 40 minutes, but Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said Ellis appeared to be suffering from excited delirium, which often includes attempts at violence, unexpected strength and very high body temperature.
He’d been arrested in September for allegedly punching several employees at a fast-food restaurant before running outside, stripping off his clothes and sprinting down the street. Deputies used a stun gun in that case because he resisted arrest and struggled, court records say.
The Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday it has not yet determined a cause of death. Toxicology results can take months to come back.
Those who knew Ellis said the Tuesday incident does not sound like him.
They remember a fun-loving, nurturing man who went to church at least three times a week and was proud of his sobriety. They remember his joking manner, his infectious smile and his fondness for candy, especially Reese’s peanut butter cups.
“He has been amazing, he always goes out of his way to help, he loved God so much,” Mays said. “He’s been doing everything he was supposed and he had all these plans.”
Mays said Ellis seemed normal when he left her house the night he died.
She said Ellis was taking medication for a mental disorder but was not intoxicated or agitated an hour before the encounter.
Carter-Mixon also said something doesn’t seem right about her brother’s death.
“My brother was a good man, a loving person,” she said. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone. My mom raised us to know right from wrong, and he abided by that.”
Ellis helped raise his five nephews, watching Seahawks games with them every Sunday and passing on sports knowledge. He’d often walk to a convenience store to buy them candy or Gatorade, and gave every dime he had to his sister when she needed it.
“He was always there for me no matter what,” Carter-Mixon said. “It didn’t matter what time of day it was or what he was doing, he would come help me. My brother had this infectious laughter, he had the biggest sense of humor, he could get along with anybody.”
Ellis played the drums since he was 3, and was also skilled at the piano and keyboard.
He loved old video games, jazz music and comic book superheroes.
Ellis leaves behind an 11-year-old son and 1-1/2-year-old daughter.
The Sheriff’s Department is investigating his death.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 1:46 PM.
