Death in custody prompts investigation

An Indigenous man has died in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia after being tasered and pepper-sprayed by police during an arrest, prompting a death in custody investigation.

The 43-year-old was allegedly behaving erratically with a knife at an intersection in South Kalgoorlie about 7.20pm on January 25, prompting calls to police.

Officers found the man at a nearby home with a self-inflicted injury, WA Police said.

They attempted to negotiate and detain the man, but say he continued to behave in an aggressive manner.

“A Taser and OC spray were deployed and the man was restrained,” police said in a statement.

Officers provided first-aid and started CPR until an ambulance arrived, but he later died in Kalgoorlie Hospital.

“Due to the circumstance of the man’s death, officers from the Major Crime Division and Internal Affairs Unit will investigate his death as a death in police custody,” police said.

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AAP