Police watchdog investigating after Saskatchewan man dies in back of RCMP vehicle

A man has died after a medical episode while in the backseat of an RCMP vehicle in Saskatchewan, prompting an investigation by the province's police watchdog.

The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon when officers responded to a call about a vehicle in a ditch near Kipling, located east of Regina. Upon arrival, police found a 58-year-old man inside the vehicle and subsequently arrested him for impaired driving.

According to police, the man resisted exiting the car, leading officers to physically remove him and place him in the backseat of a police cruiser. It was at this point that the man began to experience medical distress. Despite the immediate efforts of officers and paramedics to resuscitate him, the man ultimately died.

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has taken over the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man's death and the RCMP's actions leading up to it.