A man who was arrested in St. Paul, Alta. died while in custody, RCMP said on Tuesday.
Early Tuesday morning, St. Paul RCMP were called to a hotel where a man was reportedly breaking windows.
On Wednesday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said the 38-year-old man had barricaded himself in a storage room when they arrived.
According to a news release from police, a confrontation happened between officers and the suspect that resulted in a “physical altercation.”
“During the altercation, the male became unresponsive and was taken to hospital where he was declared deceased,” RCMP said in a news release.
RCMP did not explain how the man became unresponsive.
The Wednesday update from ASIRT didn’t give any further details on what happened during the struggle.
ASIRT has been directed by the Director of Law Enforcement to investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
RCMP will investigate the circumstances leading up to the altercation, police said.
One officer was injured, RCMP said, but was released from hospital with minor injuries.
ASIRT is called in to investigate any time a person is injured or killed during an incident with police.