IIO investigating after man dies while in police custody in Mission, B.C.

Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this provided image.

B.C.’s police watchdog is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man while in police custody in Mission, B.C.

The incident took place on the afternoon of Feb. 9, after officers in Abbotsford saw a suspicious vehicle, a statement released by the Abbotsford Police Department Sunday evening said.

Police followed the car into Mission where the car eventually stopped at the Junction Mall shopping complex, on London Avenue, and a traffic stop was conducted. An “interaction” took place with the people inside the car and one of them, a man, was arrested and put into a police vehicle, said the AbbyPD.

Shortly after, the man went into medical distress and, despite immediate medical care from paramedics, died, said police.

The investigation has been taken over by the IIO, the body tasked with determining whether police action or inaction played a role in a serious injury or death during or after an interaction with police.