A man arrested in Malden died after he said he was having trouble breathing
The man, whose identity has not been released, died the night of Oct. 6.
A 37-year-old man arrested in Malden earlier this month died after he told police he was having trouble breathing, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office.
The man, who was not identified in a statement from the district attorney’s office sent to Boston.com Thursday, was pronounced dead at a hospital the night of Oct. 6, just over an hour after Malden police had arrived at the scene.
Authorities responded around 8:45 p.m. that night to multiple 911 calls from a Quarry Lane apartment complex, reporting that a man who was believed to be “under the influence of a drug … was acting aggressively, causing a disturbance and had allegedly assault a Security Guard,” the statement said.
A female visitor at the building told officers her son “was out of control,” officials said. Police asked the man to leave the apartment. At that time, he allegedly became aggressive and broke a door and window.
A preliminary investigation suggests that Malden police used pepper spray in an attempt to subdue him, according to the district attorney’s office.
“The male continued to struggle with officers before ultimately being placed in handcuffs,” the statement said. “The male subsequently reported he was having trouble breathing and emergency medical services responded and transported him to Melrose Wakefield Hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 10:00 p.m.”
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to determine the cause and manner of the man’s death, the statement said. The district attorney’s office is investigating the incident.
