Unarmed man punched, tackled by officers in altercation that led to his death: police watchdog

Calgary police tackled, punched and deployed "various uses of force" on an unarmed man whodied in a police altercation earlier this month, theAlberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said Wednesday.

The police watchdog released more details about its investigation into officers' use of force in the incident, which happened after police were calledvia the non-emergency line to the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre on Macleod Trail on Sept. 17, just before 1 a.m.

They were responding toreports of a man causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the hotel.

On Wednesday, ASIRTsaidthe interaction between the man and the first officer at the hotel was caught on a body-worn camera.

The man was standing with his hands in full view and without any weaponswhen the officer arrived andordered the man to leave,ASIRT said. Theofficer then pointed a stun gun at the man after 30 seconds of speaking with him while the man reacted in a confused way to the orders to leave.

ASIRT reported that the man raised his hands and confirmed he would leave, asking the officer not to shoot him, and while he began to leave the lobby he told the officer "I don't want to die." The officer, with his weapon still pointed at the man, told him to stop talking, ASIRT said.

After two more Calgary Police Service officersarrived on the scene, the man stoppedwalking while continuing to state he didn't want to die. The first officer holstered his weapon and attempted to grab him.

ASIRT noted that by this point, the man had not been identified by policeor told he was detained or under arrest.

The man resisted being grabbedbefore he wastackled by another officer, who punched him in the head, ASIRT said. During this time, the other two officers deployed their stun guns. Officers resorted to "various uses of force" during a physical struggle that lasted approximately 3 minutes, ASIRT said, before the man was detained on the floor using handcuffs and leg restraints.

CPS's initial release on the incident saidofficers deployed a stun gun and pepper spray during the struggle.

Man lying face down, unresponsive

Numerous other CPS officersthen arrived on the scene, ASIRT said, adding that the man was bleeding from the mouth and vomiting at this point. A spit mask was put on the man, and EMS administered a sedativewhile he was lying face down on the floor, approximately seven minutes after he had been handcuffed.

The man was left face down in restraints for another three minutesbefore he was noticed to be unresponsive.ASIRT said medical care was provided but he was declared dead at the scene.

ASIRT executive director Michael Ewenson said body cameras worn by Calgary police officers at the scene led to ASIRT releasing more details about the investigation, just a little more than a week after it occurred.

"Due to the presence of body-worn cameras worn by the Calgary Police Service, we are able to verify facts much earlier in an investigation," Ewenson said via email. "In numerous cases this has led us to be able to clear officers more efficiently. In situations where we are still analyzing the circumstances of the event, we are able to provide more fulsome details to the public."

The police watchdog, which investigates whenever someone dies during a police interaction in Alberta, has said no additional information about the case will be released as the agency conducts its probe.