Alberta police watchdog probes in-custody death that followed incident at Calgary hotel

A man taken into police custody at a southeast Calgary hotel early Tuesday has since died and Alberta’s police watchdog is now investigating.

In a news release, the Calgary Police Service said officers were called to the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre at 9030 Macleod Tr. S.E. at 12:55 a.m. after someone reported “a man causing a disturbance and refusing to leave.”

“Upon arrival, officers located a man in the front lobby acting erratically,” the CPS said. “Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, however, the man was not co-operative.

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“A struggle ensued, resulting in one officer deploying a Taser.”

Police said the man “continued to be combative with officers” and one officer used their pepper spray.

“The man was taken into custody and, shortly after, went into medical distress,” the CPS said. “Sadly, and despite the efforts of EMS, the man was declared deceased at the scene.”

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is now investigating the death.

2:12 ASIRT takes on investigation outside its jurisdiction