SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Police say a man died in the hospital Sunday after being taken into custody.
Officers were called to a business near 300 West and 800 South shortly after 3 p.m. on a report of a man attempting to steal from the business and then leaving.
Police responded to the area and found the suspect near 350 W. 700 South, and took him into custody.
While being taken into custody, the man fought with officers, according to SLCPD Sgt. Mark Wian. Two officers reportedly sustained "significant" injuries, but not life-threatening. They were taken to a local hospital to be checked out. The exact nature of their injuries was not immediately available.
Wian said the officers then noticed that the man had become unconscious and unresponsive, and they attempted lifesaving measures including administering naloxone.
Police said he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he died.
Wian said no shots were fired during the incident.
SLCPD initiated its "officer-involved critical incident" protocol, which includes instances when police use potentially deadly force (whether or not the individual survives) and when a suspect dies while in police custody. These instances result in an investigation by an outside police agency.
Body-worn camera footage from the officers involved is expected to be released within 10 business days after the incident.
SLCPD Chief Mike Brown issued a written statement Sunday evening, which read:
"I want to reassure Salt Lake City that the women and men of the Salt Lake City Police Department are professionals who have pledged to protect our community. During this incident, two of our city's police officers were hurt. I'm grateful those injuries were not more serious. The officer-involved-critical-incident protocol provides an independent, transparent, and objective process."
This past week, SLCPD released bodycam video from an incident in which a woman died in the hospital weeks after her arrest, and months later, the medical examiner declared her cause of death as homicide.
