The Serious Incident Response Team has completed its investigation into a death where Prince Albert Police responded to a stolen vehicle alert on April 1st of 2023. The Civilian Executive Director’s public report says the 40-year-old man was a passenger in the vehicle.

After extensive attempts to try to get him out of the vehicle, he was arrested and then seen to be in medical distress and taken to hospital by ambulance, but he died April 26th of 2023. The cause of his death was cardiac arrest brought on by positional asphyxia and cocaine intoxication. According the the report, while the man’s death was both tragic and unintended, it wasn’t criminal on the part of the involved officers.

On April 1st of 2023, Prince Albert Police executed a traffic stop on a vehicle reported stolen. The 40-year-old man in the front passenger seat gave false identification but an officer recognized him and provided his real name to the other officers. He was known to have active warrants and a previous history with firearms. The report says the man reached into his waistband and didn’t comply with the demand to show his hands. He was asked to step out of the vehicle, but didn’t. The report states that over the time of this incident, police tried using a Conducted Energy Weapon, collapsible batons, and pepper spray as well as empty hand force, such as physical strikes.

Click her for the SIRT report