Fatal arrest of Saskatoon man deemed accidental, jury finds

WATCH: A jury will now determine the facts surrounding the 2022 death of a 32-year-old Saskatoon man who died while in police custody.

The death of a Saskatoon man, who died after being pinned down by police, has been deemed accidental.

A jury at a Saskatoon inquest was tasked with determining the facts surrounding the death of Ashwin Poggenpoel. The 32-year-old died on June 18, 2022.

When instructing the jury, presiding coroner William Davern said officers did not intend to harm or kill Poggenpoel when they pinned him face down on the ground. He suggested Poggenpoel’s death be considered accidental.

After hearing Davern’s comment, a woman in the gallery stood up, saying, “this is a joke. Cops continue to kill us in the street,” before storming out.

Davern continued to instruct the six-person jury, saying it was not their job to assign blame but that they could make recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future.

The jury heard testimony from 16 people during the four-day inquest.

The inquest heard 911 calls from several residents of a City Park apartment building reporting a man in the hallway screaming that someone was trying to kill him.

When officers arrived, they found Poggenpoel lying on the ground outside, bleeding from his mouth, and they called for paramedics.

Poggenpoel ran shortly after, but police found him in a stranger’s home a few blocks away.

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The inquest heard police took Poggenpoel into custody because they considered him a danger to himself and others.

Police body camera footage showed officers holding Poggenpoel face down on the ground during the arrest. He struggled to get away and repeatedly yelled, “Help me.” He stopped moving after a few minutes.

Saskatchewan’s chief forensic pathologist, Dr. Shaun Ladham, testified Poggenpoel died from positional asphyxiation — where a person’s body position prevents them from breathing. Ladham said during the arrest, officers put a “significant” amount of body weight on Poggenpoel’s lower body, making it hard for him to breathe.

The inquest heard Poggenpoel may have required more oxygen than usual because he was in a state of “extreme agitation” and exerted himself while struggling with police.

Ladham noted Poggenpoel had cocaine and methamphetamine in his system, which could have affected his heart, along with existing heart disease, possibly contributing to his death.

After hours of deliberation, the jury deemed Poggenpoel’s death accidental. It also made recommendations to the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and Medavie Health Services West.

Among the recommendations, the jury suggested a 24/7 emergency room at City Hospital. The incident occurred near City Hospital, but the emergency room was not open at the time, so Poggenpoel was taken to Royal University Hospital instead.

The jury also recommended SPS review its policy and conduct training on positional asphyxiation.