Handcuffed New Bedford man dies in police custody
New Bedford police and the Bristol district attorney's office are investigating the death of a man who died while handcuffed in police custody.
Authorities say police responded to a city gas station at about 4 a.m. Thursday to reports of a man acting erratically.
When police arrived, the 42-year-old New Bedford man was handcuffed while officers waited for a transport van. During the wait, the man, whose name was not released, lost consciousness. An officer performed CPR until an ambulance arrived to take the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy is scheduled to determine a cause of death.
Chief Ronald Teachman tells The Standard-Times the department is also investigating to determine whether proper procedures were followed.
