A college student who was on a visit to Denver jumped to death from a hotel balcony after eating marijuana-laced cookie.
Levy Thamba Pongi, who hailed from the Republic of Congo, ate the pot cookie legally bought by his friend from a Colorado store. He then jumped from the balcony of a hotel room where he was partying with the friends, officials said Wednesday.
Det. Renaldo Santiago, one of the investigators, said the autopsy results showed marijuana intoxication to be the reason behind the death.
Investigators said that Pongi and his friends came to Colorado to smoke pot, Michelle Weiss-Samaras, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office. According to the 19-year-old's friends, he ate the cookie and "exhibited hostile behaviour." This included dragging things off walls and speaking intermittently, reports the Associated Press.
The autopsy reports also stated that the three friends tried to calm Pongi down. After some time he went outside and jumped off the balcony.
Denver police ruled the death as an accident. However, the probe will still be on as Colorado's law bans sale of marijuana to those under the age of 21. Anyone below the age of 21 found to have marijuana can be arrested. Furthermore, adults who sell pot to under-aged people can be arrested and prosecuted with a felony, reports USA Today.
Officials at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming said that Pongi was taking classes for engineering as an exchange student since January. "The Northwest College campus community continues to grieve after Levy's death," the college said in a statement, reports News One. "All of us were deeply saddened by this tragic incident and feel for his family."
