Source : Perth Now news
A man has died after police got “hands on” while arresting him, with officers deploying a taser after the man “threatened” them with a metal pole in South Australia.
Police say a 44-year-old man was damaging a property in Clare — about 140km from Adelaide — with a metal pole around 12.30pm on Sunday.
The man threatened two police officers when they attended the Opie Street property, with officers using a taser after they were unable to disarm the man.
South Australia Police assistant commissioner David O’Donovan said the taser was deployed but it was “ineffective” while speaking to the media on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m briefed that he used the metal pole … to threaten the police,” he said.
“The taser was activated but it was ineffective.
“Police were then involved in arresting the male and it’s during the arrest procedure that the man became unresponsive, and police acted immediately to render first aid and continued … until medical assistance was on scene.”
He was unable to elaborate on what he meant by the taser being “ineffective”, but told reporters police had to go “hands on” while arresting him after deploying the taser.
“Police were then involved in going hands on with the offender and obviously during the arrest he became unresponsive,” he said.
“It is very early in the investigation and because of the seriousness of what has occurred here and certainly South Australia police are taking this incident very seriously … there is a lot of detail that is yet to be clear.”
The 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The circumstances surrounding the incident is being investigated by Major Crime and Ethical and Professional Standards detectives.
