The province's Special Investigations Unit is hoping an autopsy will reveal why an airline passenger suddenly died after being arrested by police at Ottawa International Airport on Sunday.
The SIU said yesterday that Stephane Michaud, 43, had just gotten off an Air Canada flight from Halifax at about 9:05 a.m. when airport staff and passengers noticed him yelling and screaming and acting in a strange manner in the arrivals area.
Ottawa police were called and several officers had just subdued and handcuffed the man and placed him onto a stretcher when he went into "medical distress" while being treated by the paramedics.
"His personal behaviour was very bizarre," said SIU spokeswoman Kaia Werbus, who declined to elaborate on how the man was acting.
Michaud was taken to the Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy was being completed yesterday in Ottawa, although the results are not expected to be known until today.
The SIU is called in for any incident involving serious injury or death when the police are involved.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the SIU at (416) 641-1879 or 1-800-787-8529.
andrew.seymour@ott.sunpub.com