Alberta Police Oversight Board investigates death in custody following incident at Calgary hotel – Calgary

A man who was taken into police custody at a hotel in southeast Calgary early Tuesday has since died. The Alberta Police Inspectorate is currently investigating.

In a news release, Calgary police said officers were called to the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre at 9030 Macleod Tr. SE at 12:55 a.m. after someone “reported a man causing a disturbance and refusing to leave.”

The hotel's general manager told Global News that the man taken into police custody was not a hotel guest, claiming the man threatened front desk staff before police arrived.

“Upon arrival, officers located a man in the lobby behaving erratically,” the CPS said. “Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation but the man did not cooperate.”

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“An altercation ensued during which an officer deployed a taser.”

Police said the man “continued to be belligerent toward officers” and one of the officers used pepper spray.

“The man was taken into custody and shortly afterwards began to experience medical distress,” the CPS said. “Sadly, and despite the efforts of emergency services, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is currently investigating the death.

At an unrelated event on Tuesday, Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld was asked for comment on the incident.

“My thoughts are of course with the officers involved – it was a very harrowing experience – as well as the family of the person who died in the situation,” he said. “But what happened and the details are something ASIRT must comment on.”

Generally speaking, Neufeld said, “Officers are trained to de-escalate situations as best as possible.”

He added that de-escalating a situation can be very difficult depending on the situation officers are faced with and the condition of the person they are dealing with.

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ASIRT undertakes investigations outside its jurisdiction

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