A man died in police custody early Wednesday morning after sustaining a fall during a struggle with officers at a Joliet gas station, authorities said.
At around 4:25 a.m., officers with the Joliet Police Department responded to the Shell gas station, 401 S. Larkin Ave., after a man called 911 reporting that someone had pulled a gun on him and was trying to kill him, police said. Officers located the caller, a 39-year-old man, who was exhibiting erratic behavior and may have been under the influence of some sort of substance, according to authorities.
As officers attempted to detain him, the man continued to yell, act erratically and struggle with the officers, police said. The man then fell to the ground while pulling away from officers and was placed into handcuffs.
Once on the ground, he appeared to lose consciousness, police said.
Officers deployed Narcan, which temporarily revived the man. He was transported to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead, police stated. Joliet police said officers didn't find any evidence supporting the man's claim of another individual with a gun.
Officers did locate the individual's vehicle, which became damaged after striking a fence nearby. Per department policy, the officers involved in the death have been placed on administrative leave.
The incident remained under investigation by The Will Grundy Major Crimes Task Force on Wednesday.
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