A man died of unknown causes after running from and being apprehended by police in the Chickasaw neighborhood of western Louisville Tuesday evening.
Louisville Metro Deputy Chief Vince Robison said a cause of death will be determined after an autopsy but said he believes it was because of a "medical condition" the man had. The man has not been identified.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Cecil and Greenwood avenues at 6:16 p.m., Robison said.
An officer on a routine patrol noticed a man in his 50s at the corner sitting in a yard, rocking. Thinking the man was either intoxicated or might be ill the officer approached him, but the man fled north on Cecil before stopping on a porch six or seven houses down, Robison said.
The officer pulled out his taser as he was pursuing the man but never used it, Robison said.
After the man stopped on a porch he allowed himself to be handcuffed without a struggle and the officer walked him back to the corner where the incident started.
It was learned through past dealings with the police that the man was emotionally disturbed and while police determined where to take him, he collapsed, Robison said.
Police performed first aid at the scene and the man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Robison said.
The officer involved has been put on paid administrative leave, which is routine in such situations. He was not identified by name, but Robison said the officer has served for four years.
The LMPD public integrity unit was investigating the incident, which is also routine.