A local hotel executive died over the weekend at a Balance Gym in Thomas Circle.

Continue reading

Ralph Polanec, the general manager of the Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Northwest D.C., died of natural causes, specifically due to hypertension and a lack of blood flow in his arteries.

But when gym employees tried to use a defibrillator to resuscitate Polanec, they found that the batteries were dead and had been removed from the unit, WTOP reports.

In a statement, Mark Crick,the owner of the gym, said Polanec was a longtime member of the gym and a personal friend of his.

Crick says that a complete investigation into the incident is being undertaken.