ASIRT investigating in-custody death in Ponoka
Alberta’s police watchdog says it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man who went into medical distress while in custody at the Ponoka RCMP Detachment.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says that on Sept. 9, Ponoka RCMP were called to assist Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel with an intoxicated, injured 59-year-old man.
The man initially refused medical attention, but after some discussion he was transported to Red Deer Regional Hospital, where he was examined by medical professionals who conducted a CT scan and later released him.
Just before 11 p.m. on Sept. 10, ASIRT says RCMP received a disturbance complaint regarding an intoxicated male in the area of 46 Avenue and 55 Street in Ponoka. Upon arriving at the scene, RCMP discovered the same man from the previous day lying on the ground. The man had been drinking and was exhibiting signs of intoxication and was taken into custody without incident for being intoxicated in a public place, and placed in a cell at the Ponoka RCMP detachment.