Family: Beating led to death

The family of a Mastic man said he died yesterday as the

result of a beating Saturday by Suffolk sheriff's deputies.

But the sheriff's office insisted that Scott Eriksen, 20, received no

injuries in custody except for a superficial cut on his head after he became

combative when deputies tried to put him in a holding cell.

Chief of Staff Alan Otto said he was waiting for the medical examiner to

determine how Eriksen died, but planned to look into an October assault in

which Eriksen was struck in the head with a pipe or nightstick to see if it

contributed to the death.

"The death of this young man is tragic, but the evidence currently

available does not support the allegation that Scott Eriksen was beaten by

deputy sheriffs," Otto said.

A lawyer for Eriksen's family called it "ridiculous" to suggest a

9-month-old injury was to blame for the death. Vincent Trimarco Jr. of

Smithtown said the previous assault left Eriksen with a "scratch," while he

arrived at the hospital Saturday with a fractured skull and brain hemorrhaging.

A Suffolk police spokesman said Eriksen claimed five men hit him with a

pipe or nightstick as he walked along Stuyvesant Avenue in Mastic in October.

On Saturday, Eriksen was riding in a vehicle with his brother, Gary

Eriksen, in Bohemia when they were pulled over at about 4:30 p.m. Otto said two

deputies from the domestic violence unit recognized Eriksen's brother from

recently serving him an order of protection and knew that he did not have a

driver's license. Otto would not provide details about the protection order

against Gary Eriksen.

Because there was marijuana in the vehicle, both brothers were arrested,

Otto said. Scott Eriksen was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of

marijuana, a misdemeanor. His brother was charged with the same crime, along

with driving while ability impaired by drugs and third-degree aggravated

unlicensed operation.

Scott Eriksen became violent when deputies tried to put him in a holding

cell in Central Islip, while his brother remained cooperative, Otto said.

During a scuffle, Eriksen was pushed to the ground and got a cut on his head.

He later complained of an earache and was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay

Shore.

Hospital spokesman Mike Sacca said Eriksen arrived at about 8:55 p.m.

Saturday in an "altered mental" state. Sacca said someone in such a state would

be unable to express themselves beyond moaning or groaning. He was pronounced

brain-dead at the hospital Sunday and taken off life support yesterday.