ST. PETERSBURG — Detectives are investigating the death of a 48-year-old man who stopped breathing after a physical confrontation with St. Petersburg police officers during a welfare check Saturday morning.
The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force is conducting the investigation into the death of Brian Michael Pepal.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 10:52 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2026, a St. Petersburg police officer was flagged down by a woman who said her adult stepson was experiencing a mental health crisis at a nearby residence and requested assistance.
Officers responded to a home at 7296 5th Street North and knocked on the door in an attempt to conduct a welfare check on Pepal.
Investigators say Pepal exited the residence and immediately attacked the officers. Police defended themselves during the physical confrontation and eventually took Pepal to the ground.
Once Pepal was in custody on the ground, officers discovered he was not breathing. Officers immediately began life-saving measures, including CPR, until paramedics arrived.
Pepal was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, none of the force used by the officers was intended to be deadly force. Authorities said it remains unknown why Pepal stopped breathing and noted that he had pre-existing medical conditions.
An autopsy is pending, and the Pinellas County Medical Examiner will determine Pepal’s cause of death.
One St. Petersburg police officer was also transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries reportedly sustained during Pepal’s physical assault.
A witness at the scene also reported seeing officers deploy a Taser during the effort to apprehend Pepal. The use of a Taser was not mentioned in the Sheriff’s Office’s initial account of the incident.
The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force was established in 2020 to provide independent investigations of law enforcement uses of deadly force in Pinellas County.
Authorities said the names of the officers involved will not be released until 72 hours after the incident under Florida’s Marsy’s Law provisions. The Sheriff’s Office said its news release will be updated with the officers’ names at that time.
The investigation remains ongoing pending the results of Pepal’s autopsy.