No charges after woman dies in Halifax police custody

The agency that investigates serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia says there areno grounds for charges after a woman died from internal bleeding during a disturbance in May.

The Serious Incident Response Team said a Fairview apartment superintendent called police on May 10 before 1:45 p.m. saying a woman was freaking out. He saidshe had smashed a window and was banging on another persons window with a shovel.

The SIRT report said she had been abusing drugs and alcohol.

The woman said she wanted to kill herself, so theofficers took her into custody under the Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Act.

Thereport said the woman resisted, so the officers flipped her on her stomach on a couch to put handcuffs on.

Thats when theynoticed a knife caught in her clothing. It was covered in her blood.

Once they got her downstairs the officers noticed blood coming from the woman's abdomen

She was taken to the hospital, but died that night from internal bleeding.

SIRT later ruled that she had stabbed herself while on the couch. Theysaid the autopsy results showed she had cut two major blood vessels and her liver, causing the loss of blood.

Investigators said the police were justified in taking her into custody and there will be no charges.