American Dies Before Tijuana Judge

A norteamericano had a fatal encounter in Tijuana on the morning of September 8.

Kenneth Donald Plouffer Jr., 39 years old and a U.S. citizen, was noticed by TJ cops as he sat in a California-registered Lexus driven by a 77-year-old Mexican man. Plouffer was bleeding profusely from a wound in the back of his head. He was also speaking incoherently and reportedly began foaming at the mouth.

Paramedics were called to aid Plouffer, but according to reports, he refused to be treated. Police, in the meantime, learned that a cab driver had dropped Plouffer off at Mermaids, a nightclub located in the Zona Norte. Plouffer allegedly exited the cab without paying the cab driver and entered the club; but he was told to leave by the club’s manager because of his aggressive behavior. As Plouffer left the club, he allegedly rammed his head intentionally into a large mirror at the entrance, shattering it. This action was the presumed source of the head wound.

Police who arrived during the paramedic intervention handcuffed Plouffer hand and foot, ostensibly so that he would not harm himself. They put him into a squad car and drove him to the juez calificador, a local judge at a precinct house who decides whether an arrestee should be charged with a crime.

Plouffer reportedly fought against his handcuffs and leg irons and threw himself against the wall of the judge’s chambers, finally collapsing to the floor when brought before the judge. He began to foam at the mouth again and then slumped over, dead.

A doctor at the precinct station examined Plouffer but could find no signs of life. The TJ coroner has retained the body for autopsy in order to determine the cause of his death.

Sources: El Mexicano, La Segunda