Man dies after Calgary police arrest, watchdog investigating

Police vehicles at Calgary Police Service headquarters in Calgary, Alta., on April 9, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating the death of a man following an arrest by Calgary police on July 11.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says officers responded to reports of a man entering yards in the community of Abbeydale and behaving erratically.

Police also received a report that a man had entered a home and attempted to stab someone inside.

ASIRT says officers located a man believed to be connected to the calls and attempted to arrest him.

During the arrest, officers used a conducted energy weapon. The man then fell into a narrow space between a garage and a fence in a side yard.

Police took the man into custody and moved him to a nearby backyard. He was conscious and speaking, and briefly resisted while being handcuffed, according to the agency.

ASIRT says officers called EMS, but the man became unresponsive a short time later.

Officers began CPR before paramedics transported him to hospital, where he later died.

The agency is investigating the incident as a Level 1 matter, which includes cases involving serious injury or death, or sensitive concerns about an officer’s actions.