A man arrested after police said he caused a disturbance at a public library died Saturday while in police custody.
A police department statement said 50-year-old Ricarless Cortezz Wright refused to leave the Forest Avenue Library after library personnel asked him to go at about 1:50 p.m.
Wright was seen fleeing on foot and Officer Tina Kalar caught him.
Police said Wright punched Kalar in the face, knocking her to the ground and kicked her in the stomach until other officers arrived to help.
Kalar received abrasions to her face.
Wright was taken to the Polk County Jail but when he arrived jail officers said he was unresponsive. He died at Mercy Hospital.
"He was combative, assaultive and very uncooperative throughout the arrest," said Sgt. Vince Valdez of the Des Moines police department.
Police say after Wright punched Office Kalar in the face, she hit him in the leg with a baton and that was the only physical force used against Wright. He was handcuffed, which is standard procedure when placing someone under arrest. Police say Wright continued to struggle and kick at them, so they also put him in leg irons.
"They took him to jail and noticed that he was unresponsive," Sgt. Valdez told reporters. "Jail staff then administered some life-saving measures - CPR."
Police say Wright's last known address was Waterloo. They were not sure why he was in Des Moines, and will wait for an autopsy to figure out why he died in police custody.
"Mr. Wright was not injured. He showed no outward signs of injury because of the arrest. He was not injured at the jail, so this is very baffling to me," Sgt. Valdez said.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops