A man has died after a medical emergency when he was detained by police in Northern California on Monday, authorities said.
Officials in Alameda, a small island community in the shadow of Oakland and across the Bay from San Francisco, responded to the 800 block of Oak Street at about 10:45 a.m. Monday after receiving two separate reports of a man apparently under the influence and a suspect in a possible theft, “according to a police statement.
“Officers tried to arrest the man and a physical altercation ensued,” the statement continued. “At that point, the man had a medical emergency.”
The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Conor Acomb, 42, of Oakland, had just left a bench when he ‘saw the noise’ and slowed down to look.
“I saw a man squirm on the ground with two officers over him,” Acomb told NBC News. “It looked like he was having a heart attack.”
According to the witness, officers did CPR on the man for at least 15 minutes before he was taken away by an ambulance. The incident provoked great reaction from the police.
“I looked down Oak Street and saw about 12 patrol cars and dozens of police,” Acomb added. “It was an overwhelming police presence.”
The police’s Sheriff’s department and the district attorney are conducting separate investigations into the man’s death.
The man’s name, age and race were not immediately released.
