Officials: Man had steroids in system
Death of gym user who went on rampage caused by "agitated delirium"
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Updated 08:13 p.m., Thursday, December 8, 2011

Steroids were found in the system of a man who went on a fatal rampage at a local gym in October, the Albany County District Attorney's office said Thursday.

On Oct. 31, Chad Brothers, 32, died after he was Tased by police who struggled to stop his path of destruction at the Gold's gym in Latham.

On Thursday, police confirmed that a toxicology test showed the presence of steroids in Brothers' system, said Cecilia Logue, a spokeswoman for District Attorney David Soares. The official cause of death was determined to be "agitated delirium," a condition that can result from steroid use, according to Soares' office.

Brothers died an hour after he was restrained by Colonie police and gym patrons at the gym. Officers used Tasers, handcuffs and a baton to subdue the 6-foot-1, 235-pound construction worker after he suddenly went into a fit of rage and toppled weight machines, threw dumbbells and punched another gym patron in the face.

Family members expressed shock that Brothers, who they described as a "gentle giant," would turn violent. At the time of his death, Brothers was working construction and attending classes at Hudson Valley Community College to finish a degree in engineering.

At a news conference shortly after the event, Colonie Police Chief Steve Heider estimated that Brothers was shocked with Tasers four to five times for three to five seconds each time. One of the stun guns shocked Brothers in the chest. At one point, Brothers grabbed the Taser from the officer and appeared to shock himself, Heider said.

Soares' office determined that Brothers did not die as a result of police actions, but as a result of the medical condition known as agitated delirium.