A man has died after suffering a medical episode minutes after being tasered by police overnight, WA Police say.
Assistant Police Commissioner Martin Haime said officers were trying to restrain a man who was acting erratically in the backyard of a home in Embleton overnight.
He said the man had entered the Priestley Street home just after midnight and had smashed windows.
He was not known to the people who lived there, police say, and was tasered in an attempt to restrain and arrest him.
They say he suffered a medical episode and died in hospital.
Death in custody
Assistant Commissioner Haime said police were treating the incident as a death in custody and had launched an internal investigation.
“Officers attempted to negotiate with the man, who continued to behave in an aggressive manner and was not compliant with police instructions,” he said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
Assistant Commissioner Martin Haime announced the death in custody at a press conference on Friday. (ABC News: Lauren Smith)
“A taser was deployed by an officer during attempts to detain the man.
“The man was eventually restrained, but minutes later appeared to suffer a medical episode.
“Officers immediately provided first aid and notified St John Ambulance to provide assistance.”
He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital where he died.
“Due to the fact the man had been in police custody prior to his death, officers from the internal investigation unit will investigate his death as a police death in custody,” Assistant Commissioner Haime said.
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