Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says it is investigating a man’s death after he was arrested on a First Nation northeast of Saskatoon on Monday.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team says Mounties were called to the James Smith Cree Nation for reports that the man was using bear spray in a home.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the death of a man on the James Smith Cree First Nation after RCMP attempted to arrest him under the Mental Health Services Act.
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In a written statement about the incident, the agency said the 29-year-old fled after officers told him he was going to be arrested under the Mental Health Services Act.
It says a brief foot chase ensued before “the man was taken into custody without the use of force and was handcuffed.”
The statement said a conducted energy weapon (stun gun) “was drawn during the pursuit but was not discharged during the encounter.”
The man went into medical distress and died after they attempted life-saving measures, including administering naloxone several times.
James Smith Cree Nation was the site of a mass stabbing nearly three years ago, which saw 10 people killed and 17 injured before Myles Sanderson killed another person in the nearby community of Weldon.
With files from Global News.