A man is dead after having a medical episode while in police custody Friday night at Ventana Ridge Park, according to an Albuquerque Police spokesman.
Officer Daren DeAguero said no shots were fired by law enforcement or the man, who was armed prior to his arrest, and the man was handcuffed before the medical episode occurred.
“He was unhandcuffed and then they started CPR on him,” DeAguero said. “They were unable to revive him.”
DeAguero said police initially responded to the park, near Ventana Ridge and Coyote Canyon NW, around 7 p.m. after numerous people called in reporting a man displaying a gun at the park.
He said officers found the man “agitated” but “compliant,” and he was taken into custody.
“He just happened to have some kind of medical episode,” DeAguero said.
He didn’t say what the medical episode was and said the office of the medical investigator will do an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
DeAguero said the park will be closed while police investigate.
