The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating after an allegedly suicidal suspect in Calgary Police Service custody suffered a brain bleed earlier this month.
According to ASIRT, a 44-year-old man, wanted on outstanding warrants, was arrested by police on the evening of Wednesday, July 3rd and placed in a holding cell with two other men.
After nearly two hours, a CPS member is said to have witnessed the man attempting to hang himself with his shirt and the suspect was moved to an isolation cell where his personal clothing was replaced with clothes considered to be safer. Roughly 20 minutes after being placed in isolation, the man allegedly began to choke himself with the neck of the shirt he was wearing and officers intervened. During the struggle, the detainee suffered bumps, bruises and cuts to his face and he was transported to hospital for treatment.
The suspect was returned to the arrest processing unit the following morning before medical staff discovered and notified police to the fact the injured man had suffered a minor brain bleed. The man was returned to hospital where he continues to receive medical treatment as of Wednesday, July 10.
The ASIRT investigation into the matter is ongoing.
