Man who died in Winnipeg police custody Sunday night had trouble breathing during arrest: watchdog
Man went into medical distress after being taken into custody Sunday night in Broadway and Sherbrook area
A man who died in Winnipeg police custody on Sunday night struggled to breathe during his arrest, Manitoba's police watchdog says.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which investigates serious incidents involving police in the province, says it was notified about the man's in-custody death by the Winnipeg Police Service on Monday and is investigating.
Winnipeg police told the IIU officers were called to Sherbrook Street, in the West Broadway area, shortly before 11 p.m. on Sunday, with a report of a man "acting erratically" in traffic, a Tuesday news release from the police watchdog said.
The man started to have difficulty breathing during his arrest, according to the release. He received immediate medical care from Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service members, who were nearby responding to an unrelated incident, police told the investigative unit.
The man was taken to Health Sciences Centre, where he was pronounced dead.
The age and identity of the man have not been released, as the police watchdog agency says its investigation is ongoing. However, he has been identified and his family have been notified, according to the IIU.
On Monday, Alex Braun and Sarah Struthers told CBC News they saw what they believe were two police officers repeatedly punching a man who was lying on the ground near Broadway and Sherbrook Street on Sunday night.
Braun and Struthers say they also saw more people they believed were police officers grab another man near the scene, slamming him against a cruiser before tackling him to the ground.
A video provided to CBC News by Braun shows a man on the ground, with two police officers pinning him down. Braun said he saw the man being hit from both sides in the head and torso while police were on top of him.
Bystander footage shows Winnipeg police hit man on ground
(WARNING: This video contains graphic content):
In a news release Monday, Winnipeg police said a man went into medical distress and died after being taken into custody just before 11 p.m. Sunday in the Broadway and Sherbrook area.
However, they would not say if the man who died was the same one shown in Braun's video. There were two incidents in the area around that time, according to police.
The Independent Investigation Unit says it has made a request to the Manitoba Police Commission for a civilian monitor in its investigation into the in-custody death.
Under provincial regulations, a civilian monitor — who is responsible for monitoring the progress of an IIU investigation — is required in cases where a person's death may have been the result of a police officer's actions.
The police watchdog is asking anyone with information or footage of the Sunday night incident to contact the IIU toll free at 1-844-667-6060.
With files from Darren Bernhardt and Alana Cole