Police have launched an internal investigation into the death in custody at Salisbury North on Saturday
Police are launching an internal investigation into the conduct of officers during an arrest on Saturday. A 30-year-old Salisbury North man died after allegedly biting an officer.
SA News
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An incident involving a man who died in unknown circumstances at Salisbury North on Saturday is being treated as a death in custody, as an internal investigation is launched to assess the conduct of officers during the arrest.
Karen-Gaye Clissold, who lives on Shaxton St called police after the man she opened her door to began climbing her fence and running along her neighbour’s roofs.
“He reckoned he was being chased by a car and needed help,” Ms Clissold said.
“I heard him climbing the tin fences, that’s when I called police.’
He ran along several roofs on Shaxton Street and Trinity Crescent, before police found the man in a yard on Trinity Crescent.
They attempted to detain him, when he allegedly bit an officer who required medical treatment in hospital.
Police called paramedics when the man became unresponsive; and say he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The 30-year-old Salisbury North man died at the scene.
His cause of death remains unclear, and a police spokesman said he did not have injuries consistent with a fatal roof fall.
The spokesman said the death is being classified as a death in custody, and the conduct of the arresting officers will be assessed in an internal investigation.
“The involvement of the internal investigation section will examine all facets of the incident,” he said. The will also investigate whether his death was caused by a mental episode.
