Watchdog investigating death of arrested man in custody suite in UK
A man arrested by police in the UK has died after being found unresponsive in his cell at a custody suite.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said an investigation had been launched into the death at the custody block in Oldbury, West Midlands.
A statement issued by the IPCC said the man, who was aged in his 30s, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon and found to be unresponsive during a routine check at 2am on Thursday.
Medical assistance was provided but the man was pronounced dead by a doctor at the custody unit in Bromford Road, Oldbury.
Confirming its investigators had attended the scene, the IPCC said: "West Midlands Police notified the IPCC of the death and an independent investigation was declared.
"Initial accounts have been provided by police officers and staff."
CCTV footage from the custody suite is being obtained and efforts are being made to contact the man's family.
The coroner has been contacted and a post-mortem is due to take place later on Friday.
IPCC Commissioner Derrick Campbell said: "Our sympathies are with the man's family and anyone else affected by his death.
"Our inquiries are obviously at a very early stage and we will carry out a thorough investigation of all the circumstances."
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 38-year-old man sadly died in police custody after being found collapsed in his cell.
"The man, from Walsall, had been arrested just after 1pm on Wednesday in Wolverhampton city centre on suspicion of shoplifting and drugs possession.
"As is routine in such cases, West Midlands Police has voluntarily referred the death to the IPCC."
